Partners
by XxOneTrueEnigmaxX
Summary: Impmon didn't want a partner. Didn't need one, really. He was perfectly fine and strong on his own. So this, 'Uzumaki Naruto' kid, really had to stop insisting on becoming his tamer. Rated T for swearing.
1. Prologue

_-"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him."_

 _~Ralph Waldo Emerson_

* * *

 **Prologue**

"Hey! You!"

Impmon jumped, startled out of his muse and nearly fell off the tree branch he was resting on when he heard somebody yell right underneath him.

He looked down and scowled at what he saw.

It was one of those pesky humans again. A kid to be exact, one who seemed to be just a year or two younger than the tamers he usually bothered.

"What do you want, brat!"

The kid had blond spiky hair and blue eyes. He was short, probably shorter than a kid his age should be. He had three whisker marks on each cheek that looked more like scars than anything. And he was wearing the brightest orange clothes Impmon had ever seen. He even felt his cornea being damaged just staring at them.

That wasn't what bothered him the most though. No. The most annoying thing in the kid's feature was that damn vibrant smile that threatened to split the kid's face in half.

The kid didn't seem to be bothered by the tone of voice Impmon used on him. Instead, his smile seemed to grow impossibly wider now that he had Impmon's attention.

"You're a digimon aren't you? 'Impmon'?"

Impmon raised a brow. He jumped off the tree and landed on the ground just a few feet in front of the kid, who's eyes Impmon swore were sparkling like stars.

"So what if I am? What do you want with the Great Me?" He spewed arrogantly.

"Sugoi! You're real! And you can talk! Are you like Takato-nii's Guilmon?"

' _Takato-nii?'_

Impmon scoffed.

"I'll have you know that I am a hundred times better than that sad excuse for a digimon who lets himself be treated like a pet by a human! Unlike him I don't need a partner to be strong!" he crossed his arms and straightened himself up to appear taller.

" _Sugoi_!" His eyes seemed to sparkle brighter. "So you can digivolve without a partner?" the kid asked.

Impmon coughed and spluttered. He tightened his gloved hands into fists and glared at the blond kid, "Why are you asking so many damn questions, kid? That's none of your business!"

The kid frowned. "My name's not kid! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and one day I'm going to become the greatest Digimon Tamer to ever exist, dattebayo!" he exclaimed, puffing his chest out which in Impmon's opinion, made him look like an idiot.

Impmon scoffed, "Good luck with that, shrimp. You can't do that unless you have a digimon partner and from the looks of things, you don't have one," he smirked evilly at the kid who's motivation and enthusiasm seemed to deflate at Impmon's words.

He chuckled evilly and turned around to walk away, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do than to talk to some wannabe tamer like you."

Impmon began to walk away. Leaving the small, sad child behind.

He was smirking in victory from the outside, but on the inside, he was fuming. Who did that kid think he was?Asking all those questions and then claiming that he will become the greatest Digimon Tamer in the world? The kid's naivety was hilarious, really. And a perfect example as to why he disliked humans so strongly. And how did he even know what a Digimon Tamer was? He seemed to be too young for that and he had never seen him hang out with the crew of digimon tamers before.

He shivered remembering what it was like to have two awfully young partners. The way they would pull at his arms when they fought over him making him fear that they might end up tearing them right off his body. Those two had been the perfect example of the selfishness humans were capable of and Impmon would be lying if he said that he missed being around those two.

Hopefully this kid would not find any digimon to partner up with him. Because seriously, Impmon would feel for that poor sap-

"Be my partner!"

Impmon felt a small hand grip his wrist from behind, stopping him in his tracks. He turned in shock to stare at the same kid from before holding onto him, this time with a determined look on his face.

"W-what?" he sked unsure of what he just heard.

"Be my Digimon Partner!" He said in the same volume from before.

Impmon froze, his eyes widened, and his mind went blank, something which would frustrate him in the future because he had so many things he could say against that. So many words he should've said to the damn kid just for suggesting such a thing. But he didn't. He just stood there and gaped like an idiot.

"You don't have a tamer, right? So I'll be yours! We can both be strong together. We can become the strongest there is and beat a bunch of digimon! And help you digivolve!"

 _'Strong together.'_ Those words repeated over and over in his head. Impmon wasn't going to lie to himself. It did pain him to see Digimon such as Renamon and Guilmon each have their own partners, while he remained alone. It hurt to see them digivolve while he hasn't even defeated at least one Digimon since his arrival to the Human World. There were times when his mind wandered into that hidden part of his brain where he thought that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to find a tamer. One who could help him Digivolve.

But Impmon wasn't weak. Impmon didn't need a partner. Really, no self-respecting digimon should ally themselves with a human. That's what he believed. Impmon knew that as long as he defeated a bunch of digimon on his own and absorbed their data, he could become stronger and digivolve.

 _'But how many have you defeated till now?'_ a traitorous part of his brain uttered.

Impmon shook his head, breaking out of his stupor and he stared at the kid with the most heated glare he could muster. He brusquely tore his hand off from the kid's grip who stumbled back, and furiously turned to him.

"Where do you get off saying things like that, you idiot!" He directed a finger at himself and said "I don't need a partner! And I definetely don't need a spoiled, idiotic brat like you as my tamer! So-"

A bright orange flame appeared on his finger and he flicked it at the kid, hitting him square in the chest where a small flame manifested. The kid squealed, chanted 'hot hot, hot,' and furiously patted his clothes in an effort to put out the small flame.

"-get lost!"

And so, Impmon sprinted away. Away from the kid calling his name while trying to extinguish the flame of the digimon he just asked to be his partner. Away from the idea of having a tamer. Away from an annoying brat who interrupted his rest.

Away from the only person who had ever offered to be his partner...

Little did he know, this wouldn't be the last time he'd see the boy.

 **A/N: So this is just an idea I had while watching the entire season of Digimon Tamers on Netflix and I just had to write it out. I don't know if anybody has already written a fanfic with this concept, but I thought it would be an interesting story and fun to play around with.**

 **Some may think that Impmon and Naruto wouldn't fit together since they have nothing in common. But they do have a few similarities. Both love to play pranks (though Impmon's are more intense), both are misunderstood by others, and... well that's all I could come up with and even then they are really different.**

 **But I liked the idea and though I don't know if I'll continue it, maybe if I get enough feedback I will. It isn't my best writing and I don't think I did such a good job with this Prologue, but oh well.**

 **Also, yes, I am very well aware of the fact that Impmon already has a tamer. Two to be exact. I'm not an idiot, it's not like I started this story without thinking and doing some research. I did plan this story out after all.**

 **And though Naruto isn't a jinchuuriki in this story since this isn't the Naruto from the Elemental Nations, he is still something rather special in this story that will be revealed later on.**

 **Well thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed it please review, or at least to give me a few tips on how I can improve my writing. :D**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Phew, I'm just full of empty promises aren't I. Here I was telling myself that I would update the next chapter for this story as soon as possible, and it took, what? Five months for me to finally upload this?**

 **Well, I'm not going to keep you much longer. I'll give my apology at the end of this chapter, which I'm not particularly that proud of since I know it could've been longer and better.**

 **Anyway, enjoy! :)**

 _-"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character"_

 _~Ralph Waldo Emerson_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **Then…**_

 _"This is a stupid idea."_

 _"I asked for your help, not your opinion old man."_

 _"You want my help? Take my advice then. This is a suicidal idea."_

 _The alley remained devoid of any light and life aside from the two figures who stood facing each other who couldn't be seen in the complete darkness that encompassed them._

 _Two men who could be presumed to be having a drug deal or planning a murder by any passerby who managed to see them by the way they stood suspiciously in the darkness of the alley and whispered amongst themselves. And, though they weren't talking about either of those things, that didn't mean that their conversation was not grim enough already without the mention of murder._

 _"If you have any other ideas I'm open to any suggestions," the voice belonged to the shorter of both man. A voice that sounded agitated and weary, but still filled with complete resolution. One that wouldn't be broken anytime soon._

 _The other man, the taller of the two, remained quiet and the shorter man took this as a hint._

 _"Didn't think so."_

 _The taller man sighed, "Are you sure this is the only way?"_

 _"Positive."_

 _The taller man sighed in defeat, "Then I guess I can't stop you."_

 _The shorter man shifted on his feet. "So, will you do it?"_

 _"I don't want to," the taller man shifted as well and scratched the back of his neck, "but I'll do it. For you and your family. I owe you that much."_

 _The shorter man seemed to brighten at that statement as his voice took a lighter tone, "Thank you."_

 _"Your brother won't take this well though."_

 _"Mitsu-chan?" the man spoke the name with fondness, "Oh, he doesn't know I'm doing this... and he never will," he said grimly._

 _"Minato-"_

 _"It's for the best, Jiraiya-sensei," 'Minato' stopped him, "Doing so will only put him in grave danger. Hell, I'm already putting you and Baa-chan in danger."_

 _"Wouldn't this be putting your son in danger as well then?" Jiraiya asked angrily._

 _A car passed by the street on Minato's side of the alley, lighting his features for just a few seconds, in which Jiraiya managed to catch a glimpse of familiar spiky blond hair and blue eyes as cold as their color._

 _"Not if they don't know that I have a son. Or that I have any association with you for that matter," his voice didn't sound all that convincing, and Jiraiya managed to catch a hint of fear in it._

 _"So that includes not letting the boy know who his parents are?"_

 _Minato stayed silent._

 _"Do you realize what this will do to him in the future?" his anger was growing more and more, not believing the decision this man has decided to take._

 _"It's for the best," was his only, cold, answer._

 _"Yes, that's what you've been saying these past few months," Jiraiya muttered. "And look where that got us."_

 _"Here." Minato ignored the jab and instead held out a small black USB towards Jiraiya, who stared at it for seconds before hesitantly taking it._

 _"Everything you need to know about it is in there, as well as some other vital information. Do not let ANYBODY see it." he warned, "Hide it so well not even you will be able to find it. And use it ONLY when the time is right." With those words, Minato turned away from Jiraiya and his almost silent steps echoed throughout the alley as he walked away._

 _"So, this is it?" Jiraiya's voice was shaky and nearly broke at the end of his question, making him mentally curse at himself for his display of weakness._

 _Minato stopped. And for a long time the only sound in the alley was that of rats scurrying around the trashcans and car horns in the distance of the few people driving around the city._

 _Jiraiya stared at his figure for a long time. There were so many things he wanted to yell at Minato for. Like how he was being so reckless and how he was cursing his own son to a life without either of his parents and ruining his family's life. All because of a project. That stupid project that he had warned Minato about, that he should never have been a part of. Now, because of a bunch of fools' recklessness, he was going to lose the man and woman he had considered as his children._

 _Slowly, Minato's head turned to give him one final look. Another car passed by, lighting up Minato's features once again to reveal a small smile gracing his lips and a look in his eyes that Jiraiya couldn't quite place._

 _"Good-bye, Sensei."_

 _And that was the last Jiraiya ever saw of the man. At that moment, Jiraiya made a decision. He would destroy what destroyed his world. What destroyed his Godson's world not even hours after he had been brought into this world by his own Godmother. He made a promise that he will never let his Godson know of the world that took away his family._

 _And dammit, he was gonna keep it. Jiraiya was a man of his word after all. And he made sure he never went back on it._

 ** _Eight Years Later..._**

 _"Takato-nii?"_

 _Takato Matsuki froze. His stomach twisting painfully._

 _It had been an accident._

 _One cause by his own carelessness when he refused to pay attention to his gut that had been telling him to turn around and stop._

 _Maybe if he had listened to it, this whole situation could've been avoided. And it wouldn't turn into this whole mess that had Takato's brain haywiring and trying to come up with some good enough excuse that could explain this situation and make the kid remain silent about what he saw._

 _But, he knew it was useless. No matter what he did or said, the damage had been done and he was going to have to learn to deal with it._

 _"Takato-nii."_

 _He flinched when the small voice spoke his name once again, with utter disbelief and awe clearly in his tone._

 _"Is that a... Digimon?"_

 _Takato could've sworn he saw the kid's eyes sparkle as he stared at the red Digimon hiding behind its tamer, who in turn was staring curiously at the young child Takato was supposed to be taking care of this afternoon._

 _"Uh... uh... maybe...?"_

 _And that was the day Takato screwed up so royally it caused a chain of events to unravel that would forever haunt him in the future. Something that could have been avoided if he had bothered to check that Naruto Uzumaki had stayed in his house like he had told him to during his babysitting shift while he ran to quickly check on Guilmon after Henry's frantic call._

 _And that was also the day Naruto Uzumaki was introduced to the real world of Digimon_

* * *

 _ **Now...**_

It was a nice night. There were no clouds in the sight and only a slight wind made its presence known, ruffling the trees' leaves and cooling all those who were still outside going about their business.

And the park, usually so full of life with parents and their hyperactive children, was quiet and still with only a few streetlights to light up the darkness, creating looming shadows from the trees that filled it.

And sitting on one of the park's many benches, were a couple. A sight that was very common at this time.

The creature's eyes were set on them as he hid beneath the bushes right behind the bench the couple were occupying. He listened with disgust and gagged silently, sickened by their lovey-dovey words and lame attempts to flirt with each other. Despite not being human, he was well aware of what these two humans were talking about and just couldn't wait to ruin their fun as well as the rest of their night.

"And a fire would be nice," the woman spoke suggestively. The creature's ears perked up and a mischievous smile grazed his features.

"Uh huh," the man nodded shyly.

"And a comfy couch." The creature leaned in closer to the couple, tense with anticipation as his opportunity approached even closer.

"Uh huh."

"With me?"

The man scratched his blushed cheek shyly, "Uh huh."

And the creature pounced.

"A fire? Allow me!"

The creature revels in the shock decorating the couple's faces as he lights a fire on his finger between them and blazes it up, slightly singing their hair. He cracks up laughing when the couple, who had been making him sick with their presence ever since they entered the park, ran away in fright from the creature.

Impmon came out of his hiding spot and wrapped his arms around his middle as he continued to laugh hysterically, causing violent spasms to shake his whole body in delight.

"Aaaaahhh, that was a good one." He wiped a tear from his eye and sighed in satisfaction, a small smirk on his childish features.

That had been one of the best laughs he's had in the whole week. Which had been rather chaotic.

One week. It had been one whole week of hiding during the day and avoiding the annoying squeaky voice that kept calling his name around the city these last seven days.

For one week he has been coming out of hiding at night and having fun with torturing whatever poor soul(s) entered his domain, because he could no longer make his presence known during the day as often as he'd like.

Not since that monster began to hunt him down with false promises of 'partnerships' and 'Digivolutions' and 'friendship'.

Impmon shuddered when that last word entered his mind, wiping the grin completely off of his face.

For one week he had been running away from the blonde brat who went by the name of 'Naruto Uzumaki' and who was hell bent on his promise of making Impmon his Digimon partner.

Impmon scoffed. That of course will never happen. As if he was ever going to let himself become a human's pet. He was well enough on his own and he intended to keep it that way. No way did he need a partner to become stronger, especially a stupid blonde kid barely old enough to wipe his own ass.

And he had let that kid know through various ways during this ridiculous game of cat and mouse.

There was the attack of the bees and paintballs and the many, many fireballs Impmon had thrown the kid's way. And he swore the kid's closet was just filled with the same orange jacket because every time Impmon burned one, another one would show up by the next day.

Still. Despite all of Impmon's counterstrikes (some of which had actually injured the blond, albeit slightly) the kid would not give up. In fact, Impmon was adamant to admit that the kid had only become more determined after each attack.

And then the kid started striking back.

The kid was smart. He had created a couple of traps of his own that had surprised Impmon and nearly either incapacitated or captured him.

There was the hidden hole in the park and the classic leg-rope trap and so many more that had, admittedly, impressed the Digimon. Still, it was not enough to convince him to join the brat and never will be.

So he hid and ran and attacked but he never once confronted the blond again to share more than a few taunts and angry 'Heys!'. There was no way that was happening again. No way was he going to let that kid try to infatuate him with the ideas of having a partner and growing stronger with someone by his side. That just sickened him.

And yet, there were those days where Impmon would stare at the blond kid from afar, watching as he searched high and low and called out his name until either his throat got hoarse or nighttime arrived.

He had seen him a couple of times hanging out with that Takato kid and his Digimon pet, Guilmon, at the park. Playing together as Takato stood from a few feet away watching them and laughing and sometimes even joined by Terriermon and his partner.

And as Impmon watched him play hid-and-seek with what he saw as pathetic excuses for Digimon and their 'partners', he found himself feeling a painful tug at his heart and a desire that he had buried long ago and ignored since the incident with the siblings.

He would simply stare at the kid interacting and playing with the Digimon for hours until they grew tired and went home. And every time he did so, the longing grew more intense and almost unbearable to the point that he grew angry and hateful towards himself for feeling these emotions he so refused to acknowledge.

At one point, he had imagined himself as Naruto's partner. What they would be like, the fun they'd had, the Digimon they'd beat, the-

He shook his head furiously to clear his head of those thoughts. "What the hell is wrong with you Impmon?" he muttered to himself angrily.

Nope, nope, nopenopenopenope. Nope. He was not going there. He was not going to drift into those dangerous thoughts.

Impmon was fine on his own. He was already strong without anyone's help and no way was he going to become somebody's pet.

He had to distract himself.

And when he saw the path that led to the hiding place Guilmon had been caged in like a dog, he smirked. He just found the perfect distraction.

* * *

At the hideout, a determined Guilmon could be seen grunting and panting as he continued to dig into the hole he had already dug up and buried many times before in since Takato found him this place for himself.

Finally, after just a few seconds of hard work, Guilmon found the treasure he had furiously been looking for since his body began to signal him for it.

"Found you!" he exclaimed victoriously as he grabbed the basket of bread Takato had brought him earlier in the day.

He smiled and eagerly dug into the bread all at once, causing one of them to fall to the ground and roll towards the fence.

"Oh no!" he cried out as he ran towards the rolling loaf of bread.

He smiled when it stopped right next to the fence, and reached out with his claws to grab it.

Only for a red-gloved hand to grasp it before he could get it himself.

Guilmon blinked in surprise and looked up to see Impmon casually eating the piece of bread.

"It's a little dry," he comments and motions a hand towards Guilmon who simply stares at it curiously.

"Well? Come on give me some more you big red lump," he orders, motioning with his hands for Guilmon to hand him more of the bread.

Guilmon blinks, "Okay." He puts another loaf of bread in Impmon's hand and the smaller Digimon eats it.

"You must really like that bread," Guilmon comments.

Impmon glares at him, "What makes you say that?" He holds out his hand, "More."

Guilmon hands him another.

"More."

And another.

"More."

"Okay."

Guilmon watches with a careful expression as Impmon continues to eat his bread. "Um, do you think you could leave a little for me?" he pleads, "Takato won't be back until tomorrow, so…"

Impmon scoffs "Do you even hear how stupid you sound?"

He grabs another piece of bread from Guilmon's basket and jumps up on the gate to sit on it, his usual smile on his face as he continues to bite onto Guilmon's meal.

"You Digi-pets are all the same," he sneers, "Takato this. Takato that. Sheesh It's like you can barely function without your human."

He occasionally eats between the rude comments, pleased at the confused expression on the red Digimon's face.

"You're living in a cage my lumpy friend. Are you really happy being locked up like an animal in the petting zoo?" he tilts his head to look back at Guilmon who was blinking curiously at the purple Digimon. "Guess you are. You are pretty simple."

Guilmon tilts his head and nods with a smile, "Uh huh. Course I am. Takato's my friend."

' _Come on Impmon! Let's be friends!'_

Impmon chokes on the bread and drops the remainder of it to the ground, cursing his traitorous mind that had produced that same annoying voice he's been desperately trying to avoid the past week, even using the same words said voice had yelled out soon after the chase began.

"What did you say?" he growls, "Takato's your… _friend_?" he spouted the word with such disgust one might think he's talking about the filthiest of things. "How wrong you are you big idiot. Friends don't lock friends in cages."

Impmon brusquely jumps away from the cage and lands on the steps, turning just to glare at the confused Digimon who simply stares back at him with those innocent eyes that make Impmon angry at how ignorant this Digimon could be.

"Now look what you've done. You made me sick to my stomach. I think I'll have to go somewhere and puke my guts out," and with that, Impmon turns back around and stomps away with his arms behind his head.

He glares at the ground beneath him as he gets further away from Guilmon's hideout. He scoffs once again as the word ' _friend_ ' once again enters his mind in that annoying voice he hates with all his being.

"Friend. Yeah, right," he comments angrily, "What an idiot."

Well, so much for that distraction.

Meanwhile, Guilmon watches Impmon's retreating form as he eats the last piece of bread Impmon left him, contemplating.

* * *

Iruka-sensei was a good teacher. No, scratch that. He was a great teacher. Or so many of his colleagues and students from previous and present years have told him.

And indeed he did his best to create the best environment possible for his students as well as provide the greatest teaching methods to help each one.

As a 3rd grade teacher, he was responsible for making learning fun for students who are still so full of energy and get distracted easily. And he happily accepted this responsibility and ran with it the best he could, making each year and each new class be ready for their next year and future.

And of course, he's had many students in his career who have created an impact on him before moving on to, what was surely, a greater future. Such as Henry Wong whom Iruka saw as one of the brightest students this school has ever had the pleasure of having.

But out of all those students, none of them have left a lasting impression such as the one Naruto Uzumaki has.

Now, you might be thinking, what is it that has made this kid leave such an impact on Iruka that percedes all others? Is it his smarts? His enthusiasm for learning? The red apple he brought to class for Iruka on his first day?

The answer is, none of the above. Though the red apple did leave Iruka in a shocked stupor after it exploded in the middle of class, covering the room in purple specks that took weeks on end to finally clean out and for the horrible smell it had produced to disappear.

So no, it's not the fact that Naruto is actually a brilliant kid. It's because he always manages to always bring all the attention to himself through stunts like this.

Iruka had heard the warnings, he just hadn't paid as much attention to them as he should've. Warnings of a blond kid who loved to mess around with his teachers and give them hell.

At first he had ignored the teachers who had had more experience with the kid than him, with the thought that there was no way a kid no older than seven years old could cause such mayhem.

And then, the new year came and Naruto Uzumaki found himself in Iruka's third grade class. Bringing a red apple that he set on Iruka's desk with a bright smile before sitting in his seat as straight as possible with his books set out in front of him.

And for the first few minutes of class, Iruka let himself feel some relief that none of the rumors were true but rather the illusions of a couple of paranoid teachers. Thinking that maybe, this kid wouldn't be so bad. He should've seen the signs when he noticed the way the other kids seemed utterly terrified and hesitant to enter the class when they saw Naruto inside, and the way they sat as far away from him as possible.

It wasn't until the apple exploded just a few minutes after class started, unleashing a torrent of purple paint that struck each and every student and himself and releasing a horrible smell that nearly made Iruka puke his guts out, that Iruka realized he might've just signed his own death sentence when he refused the other teacher's advice to transfer Naruto to another class.

And as he stared at the blond who was laughing hysterically from his seat, his classmates groaning in a fashion that made it seem like this was a regular occurrence, Iruka decided that Naruto was his executioner and tormentor.

A couple of months after that, things have not exactly changed.

Iruka's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he stared at the glass container that held pictures of various teachers and administrators who were currently employed and teaching in the school.

Apparently, somebody (and he knew who that was) had decided that it would be a funny idea to paint into each one of the faces with doodles and quotes such as 'stupid' written on each frame.

Including his.

His picture had been painted to resemble a sad clown, with white, red, and blue paint adorning his features and a small tear falling down his right cheek. And on top of his head, the word 'fool' was written in crudely dark letters. A handwriting Iruka was already familiar with since he's seen it every day in his class for the past semester.

The man next to him sighed as he stared at his own picture, the biggest one out of all with the title 'Principle Hiruzen Sarutobi' written right underneath in bold dark letters. Except, instead of holding the familiar wrinkled man with white hair and serious expression, it held a man wearing the most ridiculous Mexican outfit Iruka had ever seen, with a mustache and sombrero all included.

"What am I going to do with that kid?" the old man muttered, weariness attached to his tone.

Iruka sighed as well, pinching the bridge of his scarred nose, "There's nothing else to do. We've already done everything from giving him detention to calling his guardians to a meeting."

"I swear that Jiraiya is too soft on the boy," commented Sarutobi as he took a drag from his pipe. According to the rules and policies of his school, nobody could smoke in the building. Nobody except him, but only in his and his secretary's office, which is where they were both staring at the vandalized pictures.

"There's always suspension." Iruka smiled at the comment made by the silver haired man that had entered the room, who stared at the pictures with an amused expression.

His name was Mizuki. A teacher who had been Iruka's friend since he started working here four years ago. Mizuki was the one who first approached him on his very first day and the two hit it off real quick. They ate lunch together and traded teaching techniques. But, while Iruka was a third grade teacher, Mizuki was a fourth grade teacher who already dreaded the thought of having Naruto Uzumaki in his class next year.

"Already tried that Mizuki, remember?"

And indeed they had. But, apparently, suspension just meant more time for pranks for the blond and before the three day suspension ended, each teacher had ended up with chairs missing screws, a coffee machine that served… something gross, and missing equipment that had ended up in the trashcans.

"Well, there's nothing to be done except give that kid a good yell, some detention starting tomorrow, and another call to his house," Sarutobi said, "Though this time I hope it's Tsunade who answers," he muttered the last part.

"Then there's the park incidents that people have been complaining about," said Mizuki.

"You think that could be Naruto?" asked a curious Sarutobi.

Iruka pondered. "I don't know. Seems a bit too extreme even for him considering how they've been saying that, whoever it is, is using fire."

"He's used fire before," commented Mizuki who shuddered at the thought of what had happened last time Naruto had gotten hold of a firecracker.

"Yes, but not to harm people," Sarutobi commented.

Iruka sighed, "I swear that kid is going to be the death of me."

Mizuki laughed heartily and slapped Iruka's back, making him stumble slightly.

"Well, I told you to exchange him with one of Anko-san's students, but you didn't listen to me, Iruka."

Iruka smiled, "Oi, oi, the kid might be a handful, but no way am I putting him in Anko's torture chamber that she calls a class."

The three teachers shared a laugh.

"I''ll get a janitor to clean this up during class time," grunted Sarutobi as he turned to walk into his office, "you guys should get going to your places. We have a long day ahead of us."

The teachers nodded in agreement.

' _Yes we do_ ,' thought Iruka as he walked to his own class.

* * *

Young Naruto Uzumaki smiled sheepishly as his teacher glared at him from where he was standing, towering over the small blonde.

"H-hello, Iruka-sensei," he greeted shakily.

Iruka continued to glare at him, making Naruto swallow. The other classmates were either snickering or groaning at Naruto's usual habits which had already become a routine for them.

"You're late," Iruka finally said. "Again," he added.

Naruto shrugged. "Well, I got lost in the Road of Life."

The students chuckled slightly. Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in agitation. "That's it, I'm gonna have to find you a different math tutor. Kakashi-sensei is becoming a bad influence."

In a fifth grade classroom, a silver-haired man wearing a white mask and black eyepatch, sneezed, causing his students to reply with a loud 'bless you.'

"Sit down in your seat," Iruka pointed to the chair at the far corner, next to a young girl with dark purple eyes and hair in ponytails who was waving at Naruto cheerily.

"Hi, Naruto!" she called out cheerfully.

"Hey, Suzie!" Naruto lifted his hand in greeting.

"And don't leave when the bell rings!" Iruka calls out as Naruto goes up to sit in his seat. "You and I are going to have a long chat."

The other students 'ooohhhh'ed.

"Well, there's no surprise there," commented a blond haired girl who went by the name of Ino Yamanake. Her pink haired friend, Sakura Haruno whom Naruto has had a crush on since she transferred to the school in first grade, nodded in agreement, scowling at the blond who waved at her with a goofy smile as he passed by.

"Seriously Naruto? What did you do this time?" asked a brown haired kid, wearing a grey jacket with a black fur covered hoodie.

Naruto shrugged, "What can I say, Kiba? I'm pretty popular."

"Yeah, right," commented a raven haired boy with black eyes staring straight ahead, leaning his head against his hands. "Dobe."

Naruto froze and glared at the boy, who met his gaze with just as much intensity. "What did you say, Teme?!"

"Sasuke! Naruto! Don't start again!" yelled Iruka, "Especially so early in the morning." He muttered

Both boys scoffed and sat in their seats.

"So what did you do this time?" whispered Suzie as Naruto sat down in his seat.

Naruto smirked in delight, "Pass by the secretary's office during recess and see for yourself."

Both kids giggled only to be silenced by their teacher's loud voice.

"Alright class, for today we're going to…."

Naruto sighed as class started, initiating another boring day that he couldn't wait to end. He rested his head over his arms, wishing that it would be over as soon as it started so he could continue his search for the purple Digimon he had already declared as his partner.

When Naruto discovered Guilmon after following Takato to the park where the red Digimon had been hiding, he had become obsessed with finding a Digimon partner of his own. So he had searched high and low around town, looking for any stray Digimon that he could call his own partner. And then, he met Henry and Terriermon and that desire grew.

Finally, after three days of searching, Naruto had found Impmon resting on top of a tree. He remembered seeing the Digimon in one of the cards Takato used to play with him before Jiraiya prohibited him from bringing to their house, and Naruto had found him perfect. Impmon didn't have a partner of his own and he looked strong.

But, when Impmon first rejected his request to join him, Naruto had felt disappointed. Yet, he didn't let that bring him down. He promised to himself that he would do whatever it took to make Impmon his partner, and Naruto was not one to break such promises. So for one week, he had spent most of his time searching and chasing Impmon, placing traps and being at the receiving end of Impmon's own throughout their chase.

It had been one week and Naruto was far from giving up. He was going to make Impmon his Digimon partner whether he liked it or not.

"Naruto!"

Naruto was rudely snapped back to attention when a board eraser hit him square in the face, making him fall back from his seat from the force behind it, courtesy of his very angry teacher.

"Pay attention!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ms. Asaji was attending to her own fifth grade classroom.

"Alright class, there have been various complaints of a child playing in Shinjuku Park after dark," said Ms. Asaji.

The rest of the students gasped and Takato found himself nearly falling off of his seat.

"I don't think I need to remind you, but just in case, no wandering around after dark, ok?"

The rest of the students nodded and murmured among themselves about the possibilities on who this miscreant could be. All except Takato, who was pretty sure he already knew who it was.

'Naruto, what have you done this time?' he thought bitterly.

* * *

The bell rang and hundreds of excited kids crowded against the door to meet their parents and finally go back home to watch TV or play video games.

Takato stood outside Iruka's class room with his arms crossed and an irritated expression adorning his face, waiting for his charge to finally finish talking to Iruka, the man who had also been his own third grade teacher two years ago. The man looked quite agitated, noticed Takato as he stood outside the door, watching as Naruto smiled sheepishly. This had become a common sight that Takato had grown accustomed to since school started and Naruto made Iruka's own life a living hell, causing him to have late detentions in which Takato found himself waiting one hour outside of Iruka's class waiting for Naruto to finish his punishment for yet, another one of his pranks.

Even though he couldn't hear what they were talking about, Takato knew it had to do with Naruto's latest pranks some of the students had been raving about during lunch. Something that had to do with the teachers' pictures and paint.

But, that wasn't what Takato was angry about. Oh, no, he was seriously pissed off a different of Naruto's pranks.

Takato's frown deepened when an agitated Iruka finally released Naruto, who made his way to the older boy.

"Hey, Takato-nii!"

Naruto greeted the brunette with his usual fox grin. But, Takato simply continued to frown in Naruto's direction, unfazed by younger boy's familiar cheerful expression, and withholding the angry posture he had perfected since he started babysitting the troublemaker that is Naruto Uzumaki.

When Takato first started babysitting the kid almost a year ago, he obviously hadn't respected Takato's authority. Especially since he was more of a meek boy back then when he tried to put Naruto to sleep or get him to do his homework.

The hyperactive child had been a huge handful to the point Takato was convinced he might grow grey hairs pretty soon.

It wasn't until Takato finally grew tired of Naruto's antics that he finally put his foot down and made his authority over the young boy known. And he did so through what he called his "power pose" which would garner Naruto's full attention and respect and sometimes even fear. After all, Takato found a way to punish Naruto that wasn't to the extreme but still made Naruto calm down. All it involved was taking his favorite food away, ramen, and giving him something different that he knew Naruto would hate during dinner.

Naruto, recognizing the now awfully familiar pose, stopped smiling and fidgeted on his feet. "Um, what's up?" He asked.

Takato took a deep breathe. "What have I told you about sneaking out at night to mess with people?"

" _Eeehhhh_?!" Naruto looked shocked and took a step back from his caretaker.

"Don't act dumb. I heard that you were out messing around with couples in the park after dark. Now, didn't we make it clear that you shouldn't sneak out during the night? It's dangerous out there, Naruto!" Sneaking out at night had become a custom of Naruto's when he had been younger. He would sneak out at night and get pranks ready for the morning, risking a couple of hours of sleep that Naruto had found to be worth it.

Takato and his guardians had warned him of the dangers such reckless acts could produce. But, Naruto hadn't listened until he finally saw for himself exactly how dangerous it could be.

"I-it wasn't me, Takato-nii!" he stuttered.

"Uh huh," Takato replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "then who was it then?"

"I don't know!" Naruto threw his arms up in the air, "But it wasn't me! I don't sneak out at night anymore!"

And indeed he hadn't. Not since that old burglar nearly killed him outside a 24-hour grocery store he was stealing from. The man had been looking for a hostage to keep the police off of his back, and found the seven-year old to be the perfect shield.

Thankfully, the man was caught and Naruto came back home uninjured, with the vow that he would no longer sneak out at night and instead, wake up just before sunrise so he could prepare his pranks for the day.

Due to lack of time, his pranks weren't as elaborate as before, but still effective, nonetheless.

"Naruto, I swear if this is really you-"

"Did you hear? Turns out the kid messing with people at the park is some sort of pyromaniac!"

Takato stopped. His eyes widened as they turned to look at the boys casually passing by without sparing the two of them a glance.

"Yeah! I heard a lady nearly had her face burned off when the kid put the fire too close!" the other kid mentioned.

"Dude that's sick!"

Both boys disappeared as they turned the corner, their eager voices fading away the further they got.

Takato stood shock still as any suspicion he had on Naruto faded away. Because, yes, Naruto could be a huge prankster and loved messing with people, but not even he would use anything harmful to his victims, such as fire… well, except for that one time. But even then, nobody had been injured when that firework went off.

"Takato-nii?"

Takato snapped back to reality and looked down at the blue eyes that now held slight concern and even fear, something that wasn't normally seen in the usually happy-go-lucky blond.

Takato sighed. "Come on, Naruto."

 _'Guilmon, what have you gotten us into this time?'_

* * *

"You think it was Guilmon?"

Takato was standing outside of the school building under a tree with Naruto by his side, who was unusually quiet and serious. But, since Takato was far too concerned with his own problems, he didn't question what would be considered, unusual behavior from the blond.

They both had caught up with Henry and Terriermon outside where Takato began to explain everything to him.

"I don't know Takato. The reports say that it was most likely a child, and Guilmon doesn't look like a child."

Takato smirked slightly, "I know. Can you imagine him with a backpack?"

Takato's mind imagined Guilmon wearing a little green backpack, ready for school and ready to learn.

Henry smirked as well as the image entered his own mind, "Filled with food?"

They both cracked up laughing. Still, Naruto, who would usually be joining them in their joking, stood off to the side, seemingly pondering over something as he stared off into the distance with a thoughtful look.

"Wise up guys," Terriermon suddenly popped out, hanging from the tree's branches by his ears, surprising the other two boys. "They just think it's a kid cause it's too small to be an adult."

"Hey, did we ask you?" Henry asked irritated.

Terriermon stayed quiet.

"I didn't think so," he turned his attention once again to Takato, "Anyway, I heard the principle telling the teachers to start patrolling the park at night to check it out."

Takato gasped, "But that means they'll catch him!"

He imagined the many scenarios that could possibly occur if a teacher caught Guilmon out at night. There were so many things that could happen that Takato feared to even think about, and he shuddered as the words such as _autopsy_ crossed his mind before a small, yet firm voice interrupted his thoughts.

"It's not Guilmon."

Both boys froze and turned to Naruto, who still wore that pensive look on his face that quite honestly scared both boys slightly. Because if there's one thing that they knew from knowing young Naruto, it was that that look didn't fit him well without the mischievous glint added to it.

Henry cleared his throat, "We're not saying it is, Naruto, but-"

"Gotta go!" Naruto suddenly spoke before grabbing his backpack which had been leaning against the tree and running off towards the school's exit, "See you tomorrow!"

"Wait! I promised Tsunade-san I'd walk… you… home," Takato slumped when Naruto disappeared in the distance. Running straight to who-knows-where but Takato knew it wasn't home.

"Well, he sounded pretty convinced it wasn't Guilmon," Henry commented as he looked at the direction the young blond took off in.

"Yeah, but if it wasn't Guilmon then who was it?" Takato sighed and slumped back against the tree, staring at the ground with concern-filled eyes.

"I agree with Naruto, though," Terriermon chipped in, "No offense but Guilmon isn't so bright."

"Again, did we ask you?"

Terriermon stayed quiet once again.

"Exactly."

"Well, guess I'll have to see for myself," Takato pushed against the tree and stood straight, a determined look now on his face.

Henry blinked at the brunette who's gears seemed to be turning in his head, coming up with something Henry knew was not going to be good.

"You're going to stay up the whole night spying on Guilmon, aren't you?" Henry asked, already knowing the answer to said question.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Takato asked.

Henry gave it some thought. "Well, no," he said, "but, what are you going to do about your parents? Obviously they're not going to let you stay at the park all night waiting for the culprit to show."

Takato smirked, "Don't worry. Ever since I started taking care of Naruto, I managed to pick up a few tricks of his."

Takato and Terriermon looked at each other and turned back to Takato, who seemed to be too distracted to notice their concern looks.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Terriermon commented.

His partner nodded in agreement, "You said it."

* * *

He wasn't always such a cold man.

There had been a time when Mitsuo Yamaki could've been described as a young man who always wore a vibrant smile on his face and lit up the world with his bright blue eyes that held that special spark. He always had this skip to his step that would put even strangers in a good mood.

Nobody knows exactly when all of that began to fade away, but they did go quite a few years back to find out.

Even at a young age, Mitsuo Yamaki had been considered a computer genius. Able to create and access programs that would be difficult even for an adult when he was only fifteen years of age. He held just as much promise as his older half-brother, a genius in his own right, if not more so.

And when his older half-brother managed to get him an internship at Hypnos (something which was only granted to a few people) at the age of 18 he had decided, as he stared at all the advance technology and valuable research, that working at Hypnos was where he saw himself in the future.

So, after he graduated top of his class, he continued to study at college and finally, got a job at Hypnos under his brother's department, rising up to the rank of Chief Operator in the span of two years.

And those two years he had happily and diligently worked the best he could, reveling in his brother's proud glances every time he did something right.

And it was the night right after his brother was declared leader of Hypnos that everything went downhill.

His brother disappeared.

Eight years ago, right after achieving the title Mitsuo hoped to achieve one day, he vanished along with his wife. Leaving nothing but a newborn behind in Jiraiya's hands, the man who had looked out after them since before they could remember.

There was no explanation, no sign of struggle in his home or office. It's like they both never existed.

And that seriously pissed Mitsuo off.

His half-brother, the only family he had since he was nine years old when their mother died and his father as well, had disappeared without a trace.

At first, The cops had suspected kidnapping. But, over time, that seemed less likely and the case was closed when they decided that it was not worth looking for a couple that most likely left on their own accord.

But, Mitsuo knew better. Ever since he started working for Hypnos where he discovered the world of Digital Monsters, he had acquired knowledge that only a select few in Japan had access to.

He knew his brother's disappearance had nothing to do with the mundane world. Knew that there was more to it than that.

So for eight years, he lost himself in his work and everybody noticed as his demeanor began to change. His smile turned into a firm line, his once bright blue eyes were covered by shades he wore 24/7, and his once relaxed posture turned stiff along with the expensive suits he began to wear. He even ended up developing a smoking habit he was sure would leave him with crappy lungs. And All the while, he ignored Jiraiya's pleas of stopping his work and research and focusing instead on living the life his brother would have wanted for him.

But, in his desperation and desire to have his brother back, Mitsuo had pushed the man—who had been more like a father than anything for the past 23 years—away until said man gave up on convincing Mitsuo to focus on the only family he had left. The one Minato left behind.

Because, Mitsuo couldn't bring himself to look at the legacy his older brother left behind. Couldn't stare at that awfully blond and spiky hair and blue eyes that reminded him so much of the man who left him alone, lost and confused and hurting, searching desperately for the only person who had been a constant in his life.

Couldn't bring himself to face the boy he had let down by not finding his father and mother and bringing them back home where they belonged. He just dreaded the idea of facing the boy he had left to grow alone with a pervert and a drunk.

So, Mitsuo avoided said boy for the past eight years. Leaving only small birthday and Christmas gifts every year, without any note to mention who they're from.

Because his brother's son didn't have to know of the huge failure his uncle was. And Mitsuo would make sure of that.

"Sir, sensors indicate another digital anomaly."

Mitsuo continued to fidget with the lighter, opening and closing it, while he stared at the screen that surrounded the entire room with shaded eyes, focusing on the small red dot that continued to move around quickly.

"Let me guess," he spoke with a rough voice "Another Wild One? Put a tracer on it, Riley."

"It won't lock. It's getting away from me."

Mitsuo cursed and closed the lid of his lighter once again.

'It's time for a more global approach.'

So, yes, Mitsuo Yamaki focused on his work and his search for his older brother. Because whatever took his brother away had nothing to do with the mundane, but with the digital world that foolish inventors had created.

And he wouldn't give up until he found his brother, the man he had looked up to his whole life, and his wife.

Even if it meant destroying the very things Minato worked so hard on to achieve.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **A/N: Well, it's not as long as I'd hope for it to be but hey, at least I updated.**

 **I am soooooooooooooooo very SORRY for not updating in months. Bunch of things were going on and I barely had the time to write. But, if you're still reading this story then I'd like to thank you for bearing with me.**

 **I will most likely post the next chapter in two weeks tops because I have to continue working on my chapter for my other story 'Arc of Fairies' that I have also put on hold for a long time.**

 **Before I go though, I'd like to thank my wonderful friend and beta mellra for helping me throughout these months with this story. I couldn't have done it without them giving me the push I needed to keep writing.**

 **Also, mellra helped me discover the solution to the little problem I had about Impmon already having two tamers in the series. Apparently, the siblings didn't have their digivice until later towards the end of the show. So, there's the solution to the problem.**

 **And, don't worry about Impmon's digivolution line. I already have one planned. :)**

 **Anyway, I hope to see you guys again real soon and remember:**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! They motivate me to keep writing.**


	3. Chapter 2: A Night in The Park

_-"A friend is what the heart needs all the time."_

 _~Henry Van Dyke_

 _ **Chapter 2: A Night In The Park**_

* * *

 **Then**

 _ **Day 56**_

 _ **We've done a considerable amount of progress from the likes we never imagined. The digital word is within our grasps and getting closer and closer the more we work on this project. Everybody is ecstatic. Never in our lives did we imagine we would make such progress. The data we have gathered is worth more than all of Tokyo and pretty soon, our goals will be achieved and this world will find the prosperity that it has lacked for so long. Project **** has so far proven to be successful, and we can only hope it stays that way.**_

 **Now**

"Why are you burying your dinner?"

Takato watched curiously as his comrade continued to dig into the ground of the hideout with the sole purpose being to bury the bread Takato had brought him. The act reminded him of dogs who bury their bones into the ground, but Guilmon was not a dog and as such, this kind of action was rather puzzling to come from a dinosaur-like Digimon.

"So I can dig it up and eat it later." Guilmon chirped as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Takato laughed, "I had to ask. Logic is not your middle name."

"Nope. Don't have a middle name," the Digimon chuckled.

Takato smiled softly for a split second before it completely fell from his face - a grim expression taking its place. Despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, Takato wanted to believe that it wasn't his friend doing all these pranks that almost injured people in the park. Guilmon might be a bit clumsy and oblivious to his strength, but he wasn't mean. He didn't harm people on purpose. So, surely there had to be some other miscreant running around doing all these terrible things and pointing to Guilmon as the guilty one. Surely Guilmon was innocent. Surely...

Well, whoever it was that was causing all this harm, Takato would find out tonight.

He watched as his friend continued to dig passionately onto the ground.

"Promise me that you'll stay in today, alright?"

"Okay!" was the only answer Digimon offered, too focused on his digging to pay attention to Takato's departure.

Takato sighed. "Alright. See you tomorrow."

 **0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Impmooooooooon!"

Naruto sighed as he stopped running and stood in the middle of a clearing in the park. He was tired. His legs hurt and it was already nighttime, which meant that Baa-chan would have his hide as soon as he walked through the door of his house. Actually, thinking about it now, she wouldn't even wait until he got to the door; she would strike him as soon as he entered the neighborhood. It's happened before and the beat-down was not quite pleasant. He shuddered - hell hath no fury, like a Tsunade Senju angry with her godson.

Still, imagining the wrath of one half of his guardians was not enough to convince him to stop his search and go back home. No matter what, his mind was set on finding Impmon - the culprit behind all of these dry pranks that had put people in danger and Guilmon on the suspects' table.

He didn't have to be a genius to know it was Impmon; it took a prankster to know a prankster at first glance. And Impmon was a prankster through and through. But, unlike Naruto, he was one who didn't have his boundaries set up.

There was a reason why Naruto was attracted to Impmon in the first place. It wasn't just because he was the first Digimon without a partner that Naruto encountered. It was because, if there was one thing that they were both similar in, it was their love for pranks. And it was the reason for their prankster attitude that the pull was that much stronger. Pranksters must stick together after started doing pranks because he wanted the attention people seemed to reject him at times. Impmon does them because, just like Naruto, he feels like he has something to prove.

Naruto believed that he could relate to Impmon in more ways than one, and that's what convinced him that they would be amazing as partners. Impmon, however, didn't see with Naruto eye-to-eye.

"Impmoooooon!"

He knew that the Digimon wouldn't appear to Naruto just by calling his name (he's made that rather evident for the past few days that Naruto has been chasing after him), but it was worth a try. There was no known way that Naruto could track Impmon and make him come out of hiding.

"Are you sure we should even be here?"

... or maybe there was.

Naruto's head whipped to the side in the direction of the voice, his eyes trailing to a patch of bushes between the trees. There was a bench just in front of those bushes, and on those benches, was a couple.

Slowly, a sly smile began to grace his lips. From the rumors he's heard, Impmon has mostly been targeting couples that come in at night to spend a romantic get-together. Those were Impmon's usual prey. Which meant that wherever a couple was in the park, Impmon was not far behind.

He slowly crept up to the bushes. Once he was close enough, he began to crawl and proceeded to hide himself behind the couple that didn't notice Naruto's presence.

"I mean, there is rumor about a kid going around scaring couples with fire," the girl that spoke was a teenager about sixteen years of age. She sat nervously next to a boy her age, who unlike her, slumped against the bench with a careless posture and a cocky smirk on his face.

"Re-lax," he waved his hand, "if that brat comes around, I'll just kick his ass."

Naruto and the girl rolled their eyes. As if that boy could beat up Impmon. Another reason Naruto picked Impmon, is because he knew that the Digimon was strong. He's proven that various times throughout their chase when he's managed to outsmart and defeat Naruto in their game of cat and mouse, which by now Naruto couldn't tell who was the cat and who was the mouse.

"Sure you will," muttered the unconvinced girl.

"Stop worrying so much, Ayame," the boy said, "besides, we'll leave soon. Your dad did threaten me to bring you back around this hour."

' _Ayame_?' Naruto's eyes widened and he leaned in closer to get a better look of the girl's face. Indeed it was Ayame. The girl who worked with her father at his restaurant, Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Naruto was a frequent client and has been served various times by her in the past.

Ayame chuckled, "Yeah, otherwise he'll skin you alive and create a new ramen plate for his menu."

Whilst Ayame laughed at the mere idea of it, the boy shuddered, obviously taking the threat to heart. "Don't remind me," he said in a shaky voice.

Ayame's laughs finally quieted down and they both stared contently up at the sky, unaware of the young blond watching them from behind, his head twisting this way and that, waiting for his prey to show so he could strike.

After a few seconds of silence, the boy cleared his throat and turned to face the young beautiful brunette that had been so kind to Naruto in the past. And he definitely didn't like the way the boy was looking at her. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw the way the boy stared at Ayame's figure - whose eyes were still glued to the stars up above. They were the same eyes Naruto has seen on his pervy Godfather whenever a cute girl waltzes by him. But on Jiraiya, that look was semi-innocent. Despite his perverted nature, Jiraiya knew when it was wise to approach a girl and when it wasn't.

 _"Doesn't matter how they dress or look, a man must always respect a woman's words and wishes,"_ he would say. They were words that quite honestly shocked Naruto at the young age of eight, who didn't expect such statements from a frivolous and silly man.

Naruto knew that Ayame was not one of the types of girls Jiraiya usually chased after, which is why the look the boy gave her was disconcerting and angered him greatly.

Still, the boy was unaware of Naruto's ire and he scooted closer to Ayame until their shoulders were touching. Ayame didn't move away, and using this as motivation, the boy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Finally, Ayame turned to face the boy and made eye contact. Two sets of brown eyes locked with each other, and Naruto watched as they both leaned in closer. He almost swore he could hear their erratic heartbeats from where he was.

"Ayame," the boy whispered.

"Sora."

"Hey! Brat!"

" _Gyah_!"

Naruto yelped in shock as the back of his jacket was grabbed tightly and he was lifted up in the air, his limbs flailing wildly in surprise.

"Oi! Put me down!" he cried out.

The couple that had been about to share an intimate kiss jumped from their seat in surprise as their moment was ruined and eight-year-old Naruto was lifted from the bushes and suspended in between them by a rough hand that grabbed the scruff of his jacket.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Naruto's flailing limbs began to calm down when he processed what was happening and he turned to glare at the owner of the voice, only for it to disappear and turn into a look of fear when he saw the badge that was pinned to a man's chest.

"Naruto!?" cried Ayame when she saw the boy that she frequently served at her father's restaurant. The boy next to her looked like he wanted to murder both the cop and Naruto for ruining his chance, not that the young blond cared. He's happy that their kiss was ruined. He had been planning on doing it anyway. The cop just came as a surprise.

"So, it was you this whole time?" the cop said as he finally put Naruto down, but didn't let go of the boys' jacket.

Naruto, on his part, was trying desperately to rid himself of the cop's clutches, but it only resulted with him running in place. It wasn't until the cop's insinuation processed in his mind that he finally stopped and turned to glare at the adult.

"What are you talking about?!"

The cop's brown eyes glared at him as his tongue moved the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other. "You're the one that's been messing around the park for the past few days." he stated instead of asking.

"What?! No, I'm not!"

"Naruto, is it true?" Ayame questioned, looking worriedly between the angry cop and the blond in his grasps.

"No! I'm not the one that did it!" he cried out desperately.

"You're coming with me, young man." The cop began to drag Naruto away until he eventually fell on his butt.

Still, Naruto struggled and cried out ass he was dragged away, and Ayame and the boy stared at the scene in bewilderment.

"Please don't tell your father about this!"

Ayame continued to watch with concern as they faded from her sight.

"Sooooo, about that kiss?"

Ayame ignored him.

 **0o0o0o0o0o0o**

' _Booooooooring_.'

Takato continued to stare at the hideout with a bored expression. He had been standing watch behind a couple of bushes for almost an hour now, but so far, there was absolutely no change nor sight of any other suspicious activity. Despite the fact that he couldn't see directly into Guilmon's hiding place, Takato should be able to notice if the Digimon got out through the gate, but so far there had been no movement nor anything that catches Takato's interest.

Even though it's only been less than an hour of watch, the boy was growing tired already and he knew that he would have to go back to check up on the ruse he pulled on his parents - he doubted the doll lying down underneath the covers of his bed would fool his parents for long. Pretty soon they'd have to catch on to his hoax and the repercussions for him would be far too great to name.

Still, he knew that he couldn't leave his plan without any form of evidence that would either prove Guilmon's guilt or innocence. He had to get something from this entire "operation" of his, otherwise Guilmon would be put further at risk and he couldn't stand the idea of his friend getting caught and put on a lab table like a rat.

He shuddered at the image that crossed his mind.

There was a part of him that knew - that just _knew_ \- Guilmon was innocent. The Digimon was far too innocent and oblivious and naive; he had the mentality equivalent to that of a child despite his menacing-looking physiology. But, there was another part of him - a detested part of him - that knew that Guilmon could be playing a small part to all of these "pranks" that were going around the park. Perhaps not intentionally, but the misdemeanor was still taking place nonetheless and it put Guilmon in danger.

He had to know what was going on in order to help his friend, otherwise, he might end up losing him in the process. And Takato would not be able to live through that.

So he sat silently behind the bushes. Watching the hideout with focused eyes in order to catch just the most minuscule twitch of the gate hatching open or any other dubious activity.

After a few seconds of waiting, his ears finally caught some activity alright, but not from within the cage.

"Let me go you grandpa!"

"Stop squirming, brat!"

Takato's ears perked up and he turned to the direction of the loud voices, one of them which sounded oddly familiar. "What the..." The voices seemed to get closer and Takato was finally able to hear them more clearly as they did.

"Ow! That hurt you jerk!"

"Then stop moving!"

Takato sweatdropped when he finally recognized one of the voices and he sighed in frustration. "Naruto, what have you gotten yourself into this time," he grumbled.

He ran to the direction of the struggle where Naruto seemed to be giving someone a hard time, like always. He made a sharp turn only to bump into something hard that sent him falling back on his butt.

"Oof!"

"Takato-nii?"

Takato groaned as he rubbed his forehead and looked up to see a really angry cop holding a confused Naruto by the wrist in a near-crushing grip. The sight wasn't an unfamiliar one as the brunette has seen Naruto in this same situation so many times before in the past. He wasn't even a decade old and already the kid had met more cops than any other known criminal.

"Ah-ha!" the cop cried out, surprising both boys. "You must be the leader of this operation, aren't you?"

Takato and Naruto blinked in confusion before the cop's words finally processed and Takato's eyes widened. He shook his hands and head furiously. "No! You got this all wrong-!" He didn't get to finish before the cop grabbed him by the wrist with his free hand.

"You're coming with me, young man!"

"W-w-wait!" Takato cried out as he was being pulled alongside Naruto who renowned his struggles from escaping the cop's grip.

"Let me go, fugly!"

"There you two are!"

"Huh?"

All three turned to the right to see Mrs. Asaji, Takato's fifth grade teacher, striding towards them, seemingly worried as she stared at the two kids in the cop's grip.

"I am so sorry about that, you two," she said as she stopped right in front of them.

"Huh?" The three individuals blinked simultaneously, confused as to what the teacher was referring to.

Her gaze shifted to the cop holding the two confused kids. "You see, officer, I was walking these two students home when we ran into one of my friends and I got distracted. We ended up splitting up."

The cop's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he glanced at the blond in his grip who he pulled slightly to stand in front of him, making Naruto yelp in surprise. "This kid was sneaking up on a couple earlier, I have reasons to believe that he's been the one disrupting the peace here at the park. And considering his background, I wouldn't be surprised."

Naruto glared at him and sneered, "I didn't do it! I already told you that I don't pay with fire!"

"With all due respect, sir," interrupted Mrs. Asaji, "I understand that Naruto has gotten in trouble various times in the past, but it is true that he does not usually utilize fire for any of his pranks. Also, his guardians never let him stay out late after a serious incident that occurred about a year ago. He's supposed to be home now, but he had to stay at school to help a teacher and Takato had to wait for him. I decided to walk them both home, but we got separated."

The cop scrutinized the young teacher who merely stood her ground as innocent as she could seem. Both kids glanced at each other briefly before turning to look back at both adults that seemed to be having an intense stare-down, despite Mrs. Asaji's innocent look.

Finally, the cop nodded and Naruto and Takato could feel the grip on their wrists disappear, leaving behind nothing but the ghost feeling of a rough hand that had once been there. They both rubbed their wrists and Naruto gave the cop a cocky triumphant look, which the man was either oblivious to, or simply decided to ignore.

"Alright, I'll let them go. For now," he added roughly, "But if I catch them here again at this time, I'll have no choice but to take them with me."

Mrs. Asaji nodded as she motioned for the kids to move and stand beside her. "I understand."

 **0o0o0o0o0o0o**

 _Meanwhile_...

Impmon watched the dragon-like Digimon continue to bury the box of bread. It confused him to no end why the pet Digimon had developed such a habit, but he chose not to say anything about it. He had bigger plans in mind and he couldn't get distracted.

The stupid brat had been here earlier; he had heard him calling for his name like he has done various times in the past since they first met. To say that it was aggravating was an understatement - the kid was persistent and annoying and a nuisance. Like a mosquito buzzing in his ear, only ten times more annoying. Naturally, he had avoided him like always. He was getting really tired of their confrontations and he prayed to whatever almighty being in this world that was willing to listen to him, that the blond would get tired too.

Fortunately, the wind had stopped calling his name just a few minutes ago and he was finally able to come out of his hiding place once he was sure that an annoying yellow pest wouldn't show his face any time soon.

Now, it was time to get going and have some fun. For days, Impmon has been messing around with the poor souls that venture into the park at night. It was in moments like this when his fire abilities came to a good use; he may not be able to defeat other Digimon with small balls of fire, but he was able to get some fun out of it by messing with a weaker species. And he had. There was nothing as joyful as hearing people scream and run away from him in fear.

It was soothing.

But, it gets boring when you have nobody there to laugh along with you. Impmon won't voice it, nor would he admit it, but it was getting pretty damn lonely doing all these pranks on his own. And when it gets pretty damn lonely, it gets pretty damn boring as well.

So, this time, he wasn't going at it alone. He had already set his eyes on the only other Digimon that would be forced to accompany him on his fun. And he was currently staring at him bury a good amount of food into the ground.

He rolled his eyes at the Digimon's habits before releasing a loud whistle in order to grab his attention.

Guilmon's ears perked up and he looked up to see Impmon standing on the other side of the gate, looking as angry and annoyed as always.

Guilmon gave the smaller Digimon a toothy smile, "Hey! It's you! Did you come for more bread? Sorry, I just buried it."

Impmon rolled his eyes when the red Digimon motioned to the beaten up ground where the bread had been buried. "Hoping it'll grow?" he joked with a small smirk.

Guilmon seemed struck, apparently actually considering the sarcastic statement. "Ooooohhh, I never thought of that," he said, looking at the dug up ground with a new view.

Impmon was taken by surprise by the Digimon's idiocy, to the point that he almost faceplanted on the ground in front of him had he not stopped himself on time.

"I was making fun of ya, you pineapple head! Don't you get it?!"

Guilmon blinked.

Impmon scoffed. "But, how could ya? How are you gonna learn anything locked up in a stupid cage?" He smiled and held his three-fingered gloved hand out towards the red Digimon, as if inviting him to a whole new world that he was eager to show the young Digimon. "Come with me my little rent-a-cycle and have some fun."

Guilmon was taken aback. "Me? Come with you?" he asked hesitantly.

Impmon smirked evilly, "That is, if you're not afraid of the dark."

Guilmon shook his head vehemently, "Not afraid! Not afraid! Not afraid!"

Impmon nodded before turning around and jumping down the steps. He sighed at the lack of sound of a gate opening and large footsteps following. He stopped in his decent and turned to the cage once again, where Digimon still stood on the other side, staring at him like the naive dog he was. "Chicken," he muttered.

"Don't like chickens. Takato said, 'Promise me you'll stay inside,' so I stay."

Impmon rolled his eyes when that name was brought up again. This Digimon's blind faith in a foolish human boy really got on his nerves. He was a Digimon who has seen the worst side of humans - they were greedy, selfish, prideful, and anything synonymous with the Seven Deadly Sins. It amused him at times that those Digimon pets were unable to see it - the way their owners could display the worst of traits and sometimes even treat them with a lack of respect and decency. This 'Takato' locked up his own Digimon, who still follows his human's commands like a freaking dog!

How could this foolish Digimon still call that human his friend after being treated like a lesser species? They were Digimon. They were not meant to be put in cages and told to stay!

'Idiots,' he thought with a sense of finality in his tone.

Impmon scoffed at the red Digimon as though he were a filthy piece of vermin. "Blegh! 'Takato told me to stay inside,'" he mocked, "Let me ask you this, if Takato told you to light your foot on fire, would you do it?" He didn't even wait for the Digimon to answer before he continued. "I think not, so why listen this time? Hm?"

Impmon stared at him imploringly, but when the Digimon simply stared back, he scoffed and turned around. "Forget it. You're no fun."

Guilmon seemed to take offense to this. He _is_ a fun Digimon. Takato has even said so. Fun was his forte and to have that insulted, made something within him snap. Something that made him chase the shorter Digimon down the stairs and making him forget about the promise he had made to Takato.

"Aw, but I am fun! Really! Wait for me!"

Impmon smirked victoriously when he heard large footsteps rush up behind him, before slowing down to a walk once they caught up to him.

'Well, that was easier than I thought.'

 **0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o**

On the other side of the park, Mrs. Asaji was walking, with Naruto and Takato trailing a bit slowly behind her. There was an awkward silence in the air now that the whole situation from earlier was avoided and both boys were free to go. The cop had left with a simple glare serving as a warning to both 'delinquents'. Now, Takato assumed that Mrs. Asaji was taking them both home, and Takato couldn't really argue with that.

That had been a scary experience, and one he had no wish of going through again. Naruto was the one that usually got in trouble with cops, Takato was the one that was paid to make sure that none of that happened. So, to suddenly be in the same position as Naruto was quite uncomfortable and it made him anxious. He honestly couldn't understand why an eight-year old continued to purposely put himself in that type of position.

He glanced at the short blond walking alongside him, keeping a pace that matched Takato's own so they were directly behind the teacher. There was a pensive look on his face that set off a few alarms in Takato's head; Naruto didn't usually think unless it was for pranks, but when he did, it could only be something serious that would be enough to scare Takato.

Whatever it was that had Naruto so quiet and walking peacefully, unsettled him. He'd been like this ever since a few days after his discover of Guilmon. The behavior was weird and it worried him. He didn't know what was it that caused Naruto to act in such a way, especially since every time Takato asked the blond, he would simply smile his usual fake smile and skipped away with a few choice words.

 _"Stop being such a worry-wart, Takato-ossan."_

"Oof!"

That made two times today. Two times he's smashed against someone's body with the force making him fall back on his butt. He groaned slightly from his new position on the concrete ground and ignored Naruto's snickering, who apparently decided at that moment to leave his pondering mind and snap back to reality in time to laugh at Takato's klutzy antics.

Takato groaned and glared light-heartedly at the blond that was covering his mouth as he continued to laugh mockingly, before turning his stare to look at a frustrated Mrs. Asaji that stood above him. Sometime during their walk, the woman had stopped abruptly, causing him to bump into her, and turned around to glare at both boys. That glare turned specifically to a laughing Naruto, who stopped his laugh abruptly and smiled sheepishly at the woman.

"What were you boys thinking?!" she finally spoke.

"Uummm-"

"You boys shouldn't be out here at this time. Did I not tell you about the recent incidents that have occurred here, Takato?"

"Y-y-yeah?" Takato stuttered.

Mrs. Asaji crossed her arms in that teacher-like matter all educators seem to take whenever they disciplined a student. A pose of authority that Takato had adopted in order to help him when it came to putting Naruto in his place.

"And?" she asked.

"W-well-"

"We wanted to catch the bad guy."

Takato and Mrs. Asaji turned to stare at Naruto in bewilderment, who had his usual wide smile on his face.

"What?" asked Mrs. Asaji.

"The guy that's been doing all this stuff at the park," he continued to explain, waving his arms wildly in excitement like the little kid that he was "We wanted to catch him in the act. We just wanted to help, _dattebayo_."

Both Mrs. Asaji and Takato blinked at the blond boy as if he just grew a second head. Takato didn't know what he was planning (as usual), but what he did know is that he had no knowledge that Naruto was even in this park at such a late hour. He should be home by now, otherwise his guardian will chase him down and skin him alive before he can even get a word out... Oh, Kami... He's a dead man.

"Is this true, Takato?"

Takato snapped out of the thoughts of his funeral and looked up at Mrs. Asaji, who was staring back at him expectantly. He glanced at Naruto who was clearly motioning with his eyes to 'just go with it.'

He nodded hesitantly.

Mrs. Asaji sighed and closed her eyes. Takato could almost feel for her. He may not be a teacher, but he understood the pressure that came from the job of having to put up with bratty elementary school students that hardly listened to their educators and put them in trouble.

"Ok," she spoke, opening her eyes and staring earnestly at both students, "I understand that you guys want to be good Samaritans and help out, but it's too dangerous. Especially for young kids like you. You could get hurt and I certainly don't want parents to come up to me complaining."

Takato and Naruto let a small smile crack on their expressions at the teacher's joke.

"Not to mention that I don't want to hear about two of my students getting hurt, knowing that I could've done something."

Both kids glanced at each other.

"I don't want to see you two here at this hour, understood? Stay away from this park."

Takato's brown eyes met Mrs. Asaji's own; eyes that were filled with anger, strictness, and concern. Mrs. Asaji has always proven herself to care about her student's well-being, unlike many other teachers at the school. She was also kind to Naruto in a way that not many teachers were, seemingly able to understand Naruto's reasons for pranking his fellow classmates and teachers. It was because of her behavior towards Naruto, that she has remained to be the only teacher Naruto has never pulled a prank on.

Both boys nodded, "Understood."

Mrs. Asaji nodded, obviously satisfied with the honest answer. "Well, I guess I should get you guys home. I don't want Tsunade-san to find me with you two at this hour."

All three seemed to shudder when the name of one of Naruto's guardians was uttered. They could almost feel the air become chilly when she was simply mentioned, as if she might appear behind them at any moment.

"Wait, how did you know it wasn't us?" Naruto asked.

Mrs. Asaji scoffed, "Come on, you may look suspicious but even I know you two wouldn't be daring enough to stay late out at this hour every day for the past two weeks."

 _'Suspicious? What could be more suspicious than a big, red dinosaur?_ ' Takato suddenly thought.

All of a sudden, he remembered what he had been doing here at the park in the first place. He had a mission. To locate the culprit that was causing all this havoc and putting Guilmon in danger - in order to free his friend of all accusations that were flitting around in his head.

This ongoing investigation was putting his friend in a position that was risking his life. And if he was ever found out...

An unsavory image crossed his head, of his partner being tossed in a truck by police before driving away, with Takato chasing them down and crying in desperation.

 _'They'll lock him up and I'll never see him again.'_ His stomach suddenly dropped when another horrible possibility popped up in his mind.

 _'Or worse, they'll kill him!'_

He could already hear the gunshots. See his friend lying on the ground, cold and bloody. And the cops continued to shoot, yelling out things such as _'He's a threat to society!_ '

"I won't let them do it!"

Mrs. Asaji and Naruto flinched when Takato suddenly cried out and took off in a run.

"Wait, Takato!"

"Takato-nii!"

 **0o0o0o0o0o00o**

"Tch, who needs him anyway?"

Impmon kicked a rock on the ground as he continued to stomp angrily in the park. It flew a couple of meters away before stopping, and Impmon glared at the ground angrily going over the events from earlier in his head.

The stupid pet Digimon had left. Apparently, they both had different definitions for what 'fun' should be, and his was as boring as a painting. He called Impmon a bully. Ha! A _bully_! If anybody was a bully, it was that kid that called himself that huge red idiot's 'friend'. What kind of friend locks the other up in a cage and leaves him every night where anybody could find and harm him?

Impmon wasn't a bully. He just knew how to spend his time better than others and actually have fun. Sure it was at the expense of other's suffering, but it's not like he did any permanent damage. Besides, the jerks deserved it. Humans were all the same vile creatures that were selfish and disgusting. He honestly couldn't understand the obsession those other three Digimon had with those human creatures. Especially with the way they were treated by them.

"Fools." he muttered angrily.

They didn't seem to be aware of the demeaning position they were in; Digimon weren't meant to be kept as pets. They were meant to fight and get stronger. And they were stronger than humans, yet, some chose to chase this unrealistic belief that humans were necessary in order to evolve and become stronger.

Where such a belief stemmed from, he hadn't the slightest clue. He had already worked alongside humans before. There were days when he still remembered the twins that had made his life a living hell. The life he had led back then was what began his hatred for humans. Those twins that were young and naive, already displayed the immaturity and selfishness that all humans seemed to possess.

Then, this stupid blond kid came along and further proved his viewpoint on humans as correct. His gloved hands clenched into fists just thinking about him. That kid had claimed him like he was some dog at the pound, and it angered him to no end. He chased him around like a butterfly with a net and took away the sense of peace he had built around himself in a lame attempt to break down Impmon's walls and make him his 'partner.'

Well, no way was that happening. Nope. Nope. _No_. Impmon was a free Digimon, unlike those three losers. He was strong on his own. And he didn't need any humans in his life to make himself feel better. He was going to show them that he didn't need anybody to become strong. That Digimon were more powerful on their own.

He kicked the rock again once he reached it. It flew and landed in the direction of two young boys that were walking towards him laughing together, probably over some stupid joke.

Impmon smirked evilly.

 _'Just in time.'_

 ** _0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o_**

"Takato!"

Naruto ran in the direction he had seen his babysitter go in. He already knew where he was headed: the hideout. The place where he had hid Guilmon so nobody would find him.

Naruto may be young, but he wasn't as naive as others were led to believe. He understood what this whole mess meant for both Takato and Guilmon - the risks that were involved and the consequences of Impmon's actions if this situation wasn't handled quickly enough. It was the reason why he had ran towards the park in the first place, calling for Impmon's name in hopes of finding him and convincing him to stop all these 'pranks' of his. But, if there's anything these past two weeks of chasing said Digimon around the city has taught him, it was that it wouldn't exactly be an easy job to make him stop. Let alone finding him in the first place.

Naruto wasn't exactly angry at Impmon for what he was doing; he was mostly just disappointed. Sure he expected no less of the Imp-like Digimon who seem to have an intense desire to grab attention to himself in a way of proving his worth, but the fact that he would get another Digimon in the crossfire, especially his own friend and Takato's partner, upset him greatly.

He already had planned a long speech to give to the small Digimon once he found him; about the dangers and consequences of his actions and how it could affect other people. Who knew what would happen if people found out about Guilmon's existence. There were so many possibilities such as experimentation, or circus display, or maybe just the shooting of Guilmon. No doubt these were images that had crossed Takato's mind and the reason for the fearful expression that seemed to take over him the entire day.

He couldn't exactly blame Takato for believing that Guilmon might be behind all these acts that were being conducted by Impmon, but honestly Naruto expected better from Takato. Sure the evidence and accounts pointed all towards Guilmon, a fire-breathing Digimon, as the perpetrator but Naruto doubted that such an innocent creature would purposely scare people out of their wits and nearly harm them. He knew that there was doubt in Takato's mind that it was Guilmon, but he also knew that if any more evidence surfaced that further pointed towards Guilmon as guilty, then that doubt would disappear.

And Naruto hated the idea of that happening.

But that's the way Takato was. Once he set his mind on something, it was hard to convince him fully of otherwise. Then again, Naruto did take part of the blame for that. He was after all, the reason for a lot of Takato's stress and grey hairs.

"Takato!"

The sight of the older brunette boy standing in the middle of a clearing was a relief to the blond. He slowed to a jog before finally coming to a complete stop once he was about a foot away from Takato. He rested his hands on his knees and panted in an attempt to catch his breathe.

Once his lungs were satisfied with the oxygen they received and calmed down, he looked up at Takato with a wide smile, only for it to fall when he saw the sullen expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, in a voice that was so rare for him to use.

Takato didn't look up at him yet, but he muttered unintelligible words under his breathe to the point that Naruto had to lean in closer in order to hear it.

"What?" he asked again.

"It was him this whole time."

Naruto flinched when his ears finally caught the statement. Dread made itself known as it clenched his stomach and ran many terrifying scenarios in his head. ' _Did he find out about Impmon?'_

"It was him this whole time," Takato repeated softly, as if in a trance.

Naruto eyed him carefully and swallowed a ball of saliva that clogged his throat.

"Who was what, Takato?" he asked tentatively. He was afraid that if he pulled the ribbon, a bear might come out and bite his head off before he could even react.

"Guilmon," he whispered, "it was Guilmon."

Naruto's eyes widened, his whole body tensed up and he took a small step back, as if the news that Takato revealed to him had sucker-punched him in the face and laughed at his expression.

 _'It was Guilmon.'_

Those words seemed to echo throughout the entire park. As if the very statement itself haunted them in the form of a ghost that mocked their fortune and made its presence known with a terrifying, yet unheard deafening screech that threatened to dissolve them into specks of dust where they stood.

Takato honestly couldn't believe it. And the fact that he said it made it worse. The fact that he said it made it real.

Ever since Guilmon's appearance in his life, Takato has tried his best to protect the young Digimon by hiding him from people who wouldn't be able to understand the innocence and harmlessness that Guilmon represented. In their eyes, they'd only see a terrifying beast that could burn their houses down and bite their faces off, not the cuddly newborn that wouldn't harm even a fly.

Takato hid him from the eyes of the judgmental who had the power to harm his friend, and he even got Guilmon to cooperate. To tuck himself into a small ball and hide from the rest so he wouldn't get in trouble. Takato did his best to teach him between the good and the bad, to draw the same line that his parents drew for him, for Guilmon.

But now...

This was a betrayal by his best friend. And it punched him in the gut and left him breathless and gasping for very much-needed oxygen like a fish out of water. It made his heart drop out of his body and land right next to his stomach on the ground.

He had trusted Guilmon. He had made him a promise. A promise that should be kept without hesitation. And Guilmon... he-

 _ **BAM!**_

Takato gasped as white hot pain pounded him on the cheek, the force of which made him fall back on the floor for the umpteenth time that day.

"OW!"

He groped his bruised and pounding cheek with his hands, and looked up at the perpetrator of the act with tearful eyes and betrayal written all over his expression.

He was about to yell at the younger blond who stood over him with a clenched and bloody fist, only to stop before any word could leave his mouth when he noticed the expression on the younger blonde's face.

He. Was. _Pissed_.

Takato has only seen Naruto angry a few times. Usually these moods would be caused by a lack of ramen or having his pranks ruined by upper-classmen. But never - _never_ \- has Takato seen Naruto this angry over something so trivial.

His expression was all scrunched up, and it would be funny if Takato didn't recognize said expression as one Tsunade has worn various times in the past. One that her godson was wearing now, flawlessly.

His eyes held a fire that burned immensely, and for the first time in a long time, Takato felt fear in his heart as he stared up at such a foreign expression on the younger boy's face.

" _Baka_. How dare you...?"

Takato flinched at the whispered words that passed solemnly through Naruto's lips, echoing in Takato's ears like a haunting.

"E...eh?"

Naruto's head snapped up and Takato jumped back at the anger reflected in his expression.

"Guilmon's your _friend_! How could you think he would do such a thing?!"

Takato was taken aback by the blonde's tone as the smaller boy took a threatening step forward.

Nonetheless, he himself could feel a slight anger awaken within him over the fact that the young boy would yell at him in such a manner with such an accusing voice. So he frowned and got up from his position on the ground before taking a small step forward as well in a vain effort to frighten the fearless child that has become a huge part of his life ever since his mother brought a flyer stating 'Babysitter needed,' to his room.

"It's not like I just accused him without any evidence!" he retorted, "Guilmon admitted to doing it. He _said_ that he scared those people."

"Oh, yeah? Did he really say that, Takato-nii?!"

 _"Oh, Takato, you should've been there. I scared some people and they screamed really loud and they ran away but it really wasn't any fun so I came home and here I am."_

"He said that he had scared some people earlier today!"

"And did you let him explain himself?!"

Takato froze.

No. Not _exactly_. As soon as Guilmon admitted to what he did earlier in the day, Takato had just assumed that he was the one who had done all those things previously. He hadn't stop to hear his friend out and listen to why he had done what he did.

"You and I both know that Guilmon-nii wouldn't purposely do something like this! He may be a _baka_ at times, but he's no meanie!"

 _Damn it._

Here was Takato being scolded by a kid about two years his minor and to make matters worse, the guilt was slowly consuming him from top to bottom like a freaking disease.

"It wasn't even Guilmon who did it!"

Takato flinched and his eyes widened slightly as he looked at an angry Naruto, which made for a hilarious image that would make him laugh any other day - the pouting lips, the clenched fists, and the narrowed eyes on his bubbly face that made him look more like a frustrated fox kit who hadn't eaten the entire day than anything - but right now, it simply outright scared him. And the last words the kid spoke that his mind decided to latch onto, made the dread that consumed him already all the more overwhelming to the point that he felt his lungs would be completely sucked dry of air by the guilt that embraced him tightly like a python.

"Wha-what?"

"It was-"

 **BOOM!**

The sound of a loud explosion interrupted both boys, frightening them and making them jump in surprise at the abrupt and loud sound that echoed throughout the park.

They both turned in the direction of the loud explosion and were surprised to see a familiar, large smoke cloud that encompassed a certain section of the city, and the sight of it made Takato tremble in anticipation.

That cloud could only mean one thing. The guilt turned to worry and concern - he was expected to be battle ready in order to face whatever Digimon decided to leave the Digital World and enter the real world, and his partner was nowhere in sight.

"What's that?" he heard Naruto whispered. Another concern made itself known to the Digimon tamer, and he was now more painfully aware of his charge that stood next to him, staring at the unfamiliar white cloud with a certain awe that contained a tinge of fear. Ever since Guilmon, Naruto has only met one other Digimon that he was aware of, and that was small and plushy Terriermon who had an intimidation equivalent to that of a pet bunny.

Naruto was not aware of the more dangerous Digimon that cared not for his well-being, nor wanted to play tag.

Digimon that would hurt him without hesitation.

Takato gulped as he glanced at the kid staring at the cloud with a look that Takato has come to know well - one that Naruto has worn various times whenever something excites him and an adventurous feeling makes itself known within him, which makes him fearless and careless in the face of danger. And realization suddenly hit him like a truck that he wasn't just responsible for his own well-being at the moment.

A loud beeping in his pocket snapped him out of his reverie, and he pulled out the bulge from his pouch. The Digivice in his hand glowed and a hologram came out of its screen. Takato stared at the red dot that moved across the screen map, moving further and further away from the blue dot that stood still and just so happened to be located right where he was standing.

' _Guilmon_.'

Takato's eyes widened and he turned to stare at the large cloud that began to slowly dissipate in the distance, the sight of it making his stomach clench in fear.

Well... _shit_.

 **0o0o0o0o00o0o0o**

Impmon stared at the giant Digimon that stood before him, easily towering over him by miles.

"Well, you're an ugly one! Hahahahaha!"

 _To Be Continued..._

 **A/N: OMG! Finally DONE! What did you think of this chapter? Was it good? Did it excite you? Are you shaking in anticipation for what's next?**

 **If the answer is 'no', then I truly am sorry... I tried my best.**

 **Anyway! The action picks up next chapter which I am truly excited for!**

 **I am so sorry to have taken so long! Senior year is tough and I've been running around like a headless chicken applying for fafsa, scholarships, colleges and the such without any idea as to what I'm doing.**

 **Seriously, so stressful.**

 **Anyway, I'm almost done with another chapter for a different story (Arc of Fairies) so I'm going to be finishing that first before I continue with the next chapter for this story.**

 **HERE'S A PREVIEW!**

 _ **Preview**_

 ** _Chapter 3: Conflicts_**

 _"HE'S YOUR FRIEND!"_

* * *

 _"Foolish Devidramon. You always were awfully weak."_

* * *

 _"Would you leave me the hell alone?! I'm not becoming your partner even if my life depended on it!"_

 _"Stop lying to yourself."_

* * *

 _"Join me, Impmon. Let's show these foolish humans, who is truly the **superior** being."_

 **Thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed! I would love to answer to each and every one of the reviews, but I'm typing this in class and I don't want my teacher to discover that I'm writing fanfiction instead of reading Frankenstein the way I was supposed to.**

 **Oh! I'd also like to thank my awesome friend and beta mellra for helping me so much with this story. I couldn't have done it without you!**

 **Until next time! And please, Review! Tell me what you thought of this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 3: Conflicts

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 _"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend."_

 _~Martin Luther King Jr._

 **Chapter 3**

 **Conflicts**

* * *

He was _huge_.

That was the first thing that Takato processed the moment he laid eyes on his partner's Digivolved form. The drawing he had created just the night before seemed so... vapid compared to the gargantuan creature that stood before him.

The red skin, the white mane, the spikes, the threatening size - it was more... frightening than his childish mind had previously imagined.

' _Growlmon_ ,' that's what he had named him. A befitting name as he roared victoriously and his enemy disintegrated into small dusts of data that he proceeded to absorb.

He stood from a distance with Naruto and his fellow Digimon tamers by his side, frozen, staring fearfully at his new and improved partner.

A partner who could squash him like a bug if he so wanted to.

 _'I know I wanted him to Digivolve_ ,' he thought, _'But, I probably look like a freaking appetizer to him.'_

The sound of small steps running caught his attention, and Takato's eyes widened when Naruto threw himself over Guilmon's leg, apparently hugging the large Digimon.

"Naruto!" he cried out worriedly, but didn't move to get him away from Growlmon.

And Naruto - stupid, naive Naruto - had one of the widest smiles Takato has ever seen as he clung to Guilmon's leg.

"You look so _cool_ , Guilmon!" he declared excitedly.

"Naruto, get aw-!" Takato stopped himself when his eyes caught a large tear trailing down Growlmon's cheek and falling to the ground.

"Don't..." he heard Growlmon struggle to speak with his new guttural voice, "...Don't... be... afraid..."

Takato's eyes widened. The size was different, that much was obvious. But the fear in the loud voice, the insecurity in his tone, the concern at the thought of having scared his tamer... that was all _Guilmon_.

When Takato had created Guilmon, he hadn't just drawn a Digimon that he wished to one day turn into an actual Digimon card; he had accidentally made a friend.

A friend that, right now, needed his approval more than anything.

Slowly, Takato garners up the courage to walk towards Growlmon, and joins Naruto in hugging him.

"I'm sorry," he feels the tears stream down his face, "I'm not afraid of you."

"Was I really that scary?" asked Growlmon, "When I was fighting?"

Takato thought back to the battle that took place against DeviDramon, when Growlmon practically decimated the large Digimon.

 _'Only if you find huge, scary things scary.'_

"Unsense!" cried out Naruto as he looked up at the large Digimon, "You were freaking awesome!"

Takato sweatdropped, "It's 'nonsense', Naruto."

"I want to go back to being Guilmon, though," said a timid Growlmon as he glanced at the short blond.

"And we'll help you with that," nodded Takato with a determined expression, "I mean, it can't be that hard, right?"

He looked back at Henry and Rika, who simply looked away and refused to answer his question.

And while the group of Digimon Tamers recuperated from their hard-won battle and made plans to turn Growlmon back into Guilmon, nobody noticed the dark figure floating from a distance, watching the proceeding events with nothing short of disdain.

"Foolish DeviDramon," he stated with a gruff voice that seemed to echo through the night in the city, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you were always the weak one."

His red eyes scanned the area where the battle took place and the humans were still conversing, before they landed on a small dark figure watching the group from behind a building with hatred brimming in his eyes.

The Digimon smiled.

* * *

The door opened quietly, not making a sound as a blond head popped in. Naruto scanned the area before sighing silently and walking inside, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind him.

The door made a small 'click' as it closed. Naruto walked through the darkened room, trusting his instincts to tell him where the set of stairs that led to his room were located. But, when his foot rammed against something hard and he was forced to cover his mouth in order to swallow the scream that wanted to escape him, his heart filled with dread as he stumbled backwards and bumped against a table. He heard the sound of something breaking and shattering into pieces behind him... along with his heart.

Naruto cringed and closed his eyes, already expecting the yelling and the pain. But, when there was nothing but silence, he sighed in relief and began to once again move over to the stairs.

The small 'click' and the light that suddenly illuminated the room, was enough to blind him from the incoming impact before he could so much as react.

 _"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"_

 _"Gyah!"_

Naruto cried out at the pain that exploded in his right cheek, the force of it knocking him to the side.

"Ow."

He rubbed his cheek from where he sat on the floor, when a sandaled foot appeared in his field of vision. He gulped as his eyes slowly trailed up the foot to a body covered in a grey bathrobe, finally landing on the angered face of his god-mother, one Tsunade Senju.

"H-hey, Tsunade-baachan."

A vein popped out in Tsunade's forehead. "Where were you?" she growled out.

"U-uuhh..."

"Oh, has Naruto returned?"

Naruto looked to the side of the angered woman and saw a sleepy Jiraiya rubbing his eyes from his position on the stairs.

"H-Hello, Ossan."

"You're home awfully late," he commented as he moved to stand next to Tsunade, who was still glaring at the small blond.

"Explain, young man!" demanded Tsunade.

Naruto gulped and proceeded to twiddle with his fingers nervously as he began to tell his story. "Well, you see, Takato and I were on our way home when - "

"Takato?" Naruto froze when Tsunade growled out the name with frustration, realizing the mistake on his part. "That's right, where is that brat?" she asked menacingly.

Naruto shook his head and hands furiously, "T-this is not his fault, Tsunade-baachan. It's mine! We were on our way back when we were suddenly stopped by a cop in the park."

"A cop? Why would a cop stop you?" asked Jiraiya.

"W-well, there's been these incidents going on in the park-"

"Naruto Uzumaki what have you done?!"

"It wasn't me!" he cried out, "But, the cops stopped us thinking that it was, so we ended up having to explain the situation to him until he let us go."

Naruto didn't lie to his guardians often. He's learned many times in the past that it was possibly the worst mistake he could ever make in his life, and that if he ever wanted to live to see eighteen years, then being honest with Tsunade and Jiraiya was the best way to survive.

But, ever since the discovery of Guilmon and Impmon, he's done nothing but lie to both adults. And both of them not knowing any better, believed him.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Why didn't we get called in then?"

Naruto froze. Oh, crap.

"T-they didn't see a point in it. At least, not until they could prove it was us - _whichtheydidn't_!" he added quickly.

Still, Jiraiya and Tsunade stood there with narrowed eyes, obviously having a hard time believing Naruto's lie. Naruto gulped silently, frightened out of his mind that he might have to plan an early funeral for himself.

Finally, both guardians shared a look and nodded.

"Ok," said Jiraiya, "I'll talk to the cops and have this cleared out; I can't believe they would actually take kids without evidence and not even contact their guardians."

"No! There's no need!" Naruto cried out. Both guardians gave him a look and Naruto backed down a bit, "I-I mean, they let us go and they did apologize. Plus, I'm not really mad about it, they were just doing their jobs."

Jiraiya blinked at him before sighing, "Alright, we won't call."

Naruto sighed in relief.

"But, you're grounded young man!" yelled Tsunade.

Naruto nodded furiously, not even bothering to argue against the same woman who could make his own teachers quake in their boots after a parent meeting gone wrong.

"Go to your room!" she pointed towards the stairs angrily.

Naruto didn't even hesitate. Tsunade didn't even blink before he was gone and the sound of a door shutting close echoed throughout the large house.

Tsunade sighed and slumped slightly in defeat. She pinched the bridge of her nose, "I swear," she muttered, "What am I going to do with that kid?"

"There's nothing to be done," chuckled Jiraiya, "That boy is Minato's alright."

Tsunade didn't respond. Sure enough, the brat was Minato's there was no question. It was all in the looks; the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the mischievous glint he would get whenever he had an idea. The personality, however, was a combination of both his mother and father. If one were to mix Minato and Kushina, Naruto is what they would get in return.

"He worries me," she slumped down on the armchair in the living room and rested her head on her hand. "That kid is one day going to get in a lot of trouble that that not even we will be able to pull him out of, Jiraiya."

"Is this about... _them_?"

Tsunade remained silent.

Jiraiya sighed in response to the lack of answer he received, "There's nothing we can do to stop them, Tsunade."

"Sure there is," she retorted clenching her fists and glaring angrily at the older man, "We can go hunt those bastards down before they find us."

"And risk Naruto's safety?"

"His safety is already at risk!"

"Tsunade!"

Tsunade flinched, realizing that she had spoken far too loudly for her own good. Naruto couldn't hear this conversation. Hell, they shouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. It was too risky to talk about it here, or anywhere else for that matter.

She sighed and rubbed her temples when she felt another headache coming in. She flinched slightly when a familiar large hand placed itself on her shoulder in an effort to exhibit comfort.

"Stop worrying about it," spoke Jiraiya, "They won't ever come to learn about Naruto's existence; Minato saw to that."

"The trust you place in that man is undeserving," she commented irritated.

Jiraiya chuckled in response, "Well, he may have been a fool, but he was a _smart_ fool."

Tsunade allowed herself to show a small smirk, which vanished in less than five seconds when another concern made itself known in her head. "Have you spoken with Mitsuo?"

She took his silence as a 'no'.

"I don't understand why Minato didn't explain the situation to him," she spoke somberly with a hint of pity, "The poor man is wasting his life chasing waterfalls."

"He wanted to protect him," spoke Jiraiya.

"But in his effort to protect him... didn't he realize the man Mitsuo would turn into as a result of his careless actions?"

Jiraiya had no answer.

* * *

 _"You look so cool, Guilmon!"_

"Tch." The rock flew across the air before implanting itself on the bark of a tree from the force of the impact.

"Idiots," muttered Impmon.

He had stayed for the battle, after DeviDramon practically smoked his ass, Impmon found himself watching the battle between the red Digimon and DeviDramon from behind the corner of a building. It had been intense, and he'll admit that he was rather entertained by the whole thing.

Who knew that such a naive Digimon could Digivolve into such a badass?

And that's what pissed him off.

Here he was, an independent Digimon fighting without the aid of a stupid tamer, and yet it was an idiot who got to Digivolve before him.

And then the way that moron hugged him.

He shook his head. No, he wasn't jealous. Not jealous at all. He had made it known to Naruto that he wasn't interested in being anyone's partner. Ever. And he had shown him through various means during the blonde's chase of the purple Digimon.

Then, why did he feel this way?

He clenched his teeth in frustration and yelled angrily as he smashed his fist on a nearby car, denting it and causing it to release a loud alarm that would most likely awaken the people living in the street.

Maybe it was because of the way he had looked at the overgrown Digimon with a certain level of admiration, whilst the Digimon's actual partner was standing from a distance frozen in fear. But, Naruto... Naruto had not been afraid. If anything, as shown through his actions, the boy had been ecstatic. He hadn't even stopped to consider that Growlmon might actually hurt him. No. Instead, he just ran towards him and hugged him as if he were overgrown plushy.

"Humans are idiots," he grumbled angrily.

"Indeed they are, aren't they?" Impmon's eyes widened and he turned around. There standing before him, was a Digimon unlike one he's ever seen before. He was tall, and clad in jet-black clothing, with two horns protruding from the top of its head. Its arms were long with sharp talons at the end that almost touched the ground. There were two wings coming out of its back, but Impmon wondered if he could even fly with those considering the various holes that penetrated them. His eyes were red and piercing, glaring right into Impmon's soul. And for the first time, in a long time, Impmon felt truly afraid.

"It seems that you and I think alike, little friend," he spoke with a haunting voice.

Impmon's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Who you calling so little he can't fit in a tiny tea cup?!"

Devimon sweatdropped, "I... didn't say that."

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, standing tall and glaring back at the tall Digimon in an effort to hide the fear that was brimming in his chest.

"Ah, how rude of me," smiled the Digimon, "My name is Devimon. And I'm simply looking for a friend."

Impmon raised an eyebrow, "A friend?"

Devimon nodded, "Well, more of a partner you could say. See, I had arrived here with DeviDramon, but the fool got defeated by another Digimon and his ridiculous tamer."

"And why does a Digimon like you need a partner?"

"Digimon don't survive long in the human world alone for a reason. I'm no fool, I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to come here. And I knew that I couldn't do it alone."

"And what? You're asking me to join you?" he asked curiously.

"Minds that think alike, get along," he nodded, "You and I, we seem to have the same viewpoint on humans. That's a rarity to find nowadays among Digimons. The fools are so desperate to Digivolve, they'll take the easy route to achieve it."

"Huh. Well, what do you know?" smiled Impmon, "We do think alike."

"See? So, what do you say? Care to join me creating chaos here in the human world?"

Impmon thought about it. He really thought about it. Aligning himself with a human was... inconceivable. But another Digimon? Well, that could work out, but then again...

"Nope," he finally answered.

Devimon blinked, clearly taken aback by the response. "W-what?"

"No offense big guy," Impmon waved his hand, "But, I got a reputation to keep: Impmon works alone."

Devimon blinked. Obviously the Digimon doesn't take rejection well.

"Thanks for the offer though," Impmon turned around, "But, you're going to have to find somebody else."

And as Impmon began to walk away, he felt his confidence begin to dampen the fear that Devimon had created. The Digimon may look tough, but if he needed a partner to survive the human world, then he couldn't be that strong. Impmon has been alone for as long as he can remember, and he was still alive and intact.

"I can help you Digivolve."

Impmon stopped in his tracks.

"I helped DeviDramon reach the form that he had. Imagine what I can do with you."

Impmon didn't move.

"Those kids and their Digimon pets will learn to fear you. You will be stronger than ever before.

"I'll give you some time to think about my offer."

By the time Impmon finally turned around to give him a piece of his mind, Devimon was gone.

* * *

"What are you guys doing?"

Naruto watched curiously as Growlmon and Takato did a handstand in the middle of a clearing in the park. Naruto stood from a distance, staring at the scene with childish curiosity.

"Trying to get Growlmon to de-Digivolve," Takato struggled to answer as his hands began to shake from the strength it took to keep him up.

They had been trying various attempts to get Growlmon to De-Digivolve back into Guilmon ever since the end of the battle against Devidramon last night. The whole night had been spent running, stretching, and even praying. When Takato finally gave up for the night and decided to continue the next day, he realized that he couldn't exactly fit Growlmon back in his old hiding place with the size he was now.

So he had hidden him in the tunnels beneath the city, but after a surprise attack from Impmon, Growlmon was forced to leave and seek out Takato who had already been in his room trying to fall asleep. So they decided to continue their journey to get Growlmon back into a decent size.

Naruto laughed, "You guys are weird."

Before either boys could react, Growlmon cried out and fell backwards from his handstand. His massive weight caused a small tremor that made Takato lose his balance and fall from his handstand as well, crying out in the process.

Naruto laughed again while pointing a finger at their really uncomfortable looking position.

Takato glared at the young boy, but didn't say anything as he untangled his limbs and sat up.

"Well, you guys look like you're having fun."

Naruto's laugh stopped and he turned to greet Henry and Terriermon with a smile. "Henry! Ooh, and Terriermon!"

Terriermon cringed as Naruto made his way over to him and grabbed him by his middle, pulling him away from Henry's shoulder who simply stared at the scene with nothing short of amusement.

"H-Hey, Naruto," Terriermon managed to stammer as Naruto squeezed him into a hug.

"Hey Henry/Terriermon!" Greeted both Takato and Growlmon.

"You guys still attempting to de-Digivolve Growlmon?" asked Henry.

Takato nodded, "Yep, but no success so far. How did you get Terriermon to go back to normal after Digivolving?"

Henry tapped his chin with his finger in thought, "Well, he went back to normal after a while. I honestly don't think I did anything." He looked at Growlmon who had walked to meet up with both Naruto and Terriermon who was finally free from the blonde's grasp. "I know it didn't take as long for him to de-Digivolve as it's taking Growlmon though."

Takato sighed in disappointment. "I don't know what to do. I mean, what if he remains stuck like this forever?"

"That would be so cool!" Takato looked to the side to see that Naruto had abandoned both Digimon and moved in with the two young boys, joining in on their conversation.

"No, it wouldn't be cool," Takato spoke softly, "Growlmon is too big to hide, at this point he could be seen by other people."

Naruto pouted, "He still looks really cool though," he grumbled.

"Well, did you try using the card backwards?"

"Yup, no dice..."

Naruto perked up when he heard a loud 'snap' that apparently hadn't reached Takato's and Henry's ears. The conversation between the two boys faded away and he turned around to catch a glimpse of what had made the noise. When he caught sight of something purple, he moved faster than the eye could blink.

"See you guys later!" he yelled as he ran in the direction of the purple blur.

"Naruto!" cried Takato after him.

Henry smiled when the boy obviously ignored Takato as he disappeared among the trees, "That kid never listens to you, does he?"

"No," he replied miserably.

* * *

"IMPMOOOOON!"

He had seen him.

Shit. He hadn't meant to have made it obvious that he had been there the whole time at the park, watching as the idiotic boy vainly attempted to turn Growlmon back to normal.

He hadn't even meant to be there in the first place.

"IMPMOOON!"

Impmon jumped from branch to branch, flabbergasted over the fact that the kid managed to keep up with him.

"STAY AWAY!" he yelled back.

"Come on, Impmon!" Naruto continued to run on the ground beneath Impmon, trying desperately to catch up with him. How he had so much stamina, Impmon had no idea.

He was tired of this. Shit, he was tired of it. The chasing, the constant pleading... it was pathetic. It pissed him off to no end that 'no' seemed to not be enough for this brat. Pissed him off that he has wasted time with this routine that has become disturbingly familiar.

He was tired of _running_.

Naruto was taken by surprise when Impmon suddenly stopped jumping and remained standing on a tree branch. The sudden stop caught him off guard and in attempt to get himself to stop he shoved his feet into the dirt and it resulted in him skidding over the ground. The attempt failed him and his eyes widened when he slammed against the bark of the tree.

"Ow," he whimpered as he rubbed his forehead and sat up on the ground.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

Naruto looked up and flinched when he saw the furious expression on Impmon's face.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he growled out, "Why would I ever want to be with an idiot like you?! You have no skills, no talent, you think that Digimon are nothing but ' _cool'_ pets, don't you?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"You're freaking weak! Even if I wanted a partner, I would never choose you!

"I wouldn't ever be your partner even if my life depended on it!"

There. He was done. He finally let it all out, and it was like he had finally removed a thorn from his hip that had been bothering him for the longest time. He slumped slightly once the storm was over, and attempted to catch his breath which had escaped him along with the violent words he had released in the boy's direction.

And he felt relieved. Relieved that he had finally vented out all his frustrations and anger. And he hoped that, for once, the boy might catch on and leave him alone.

But, when Impmon looked up at the boy to see his expression, he had expected tears or sadness to fuel his determination and glee, instead, there was anger.

"Stop lying to yourself."

Impmon was surprised by the cold tone on the boy's voice. A tone he had never imagined could emit from the naive blonde.

"W-What?" he asked.

"If you don't want to be my partner," he continued, "Then why are you always following us around?!"

Impmon flinched.

"I know that you were there when Guilmon-nii fought that Digimon! I know that you always watch us from a distance when you think we can't see you! Like right now! So, if you don't want a partner, then why do you make it seem like you do?!"

Impmon gaped. He was left speechless. There was no answer he could give to such an accusation, because truthfully, he had no answer. Why was he always following those brats around? He would lie to himself and say that he enjoyed watching them make fools of themselves. It was entertaining.

But, that wasn't true. At least, not entirely.

He just didn't want to attest to the truth.

He clenched his teeth angrily. The kid was cheating. He was throwing all of Impmon's insecurities and desires in his face, and he seemed to be aware that he was doing it. How old was he? Eight? How could a runt like him read him like that?

No, he didn't know who Impmon was. What he was capable of, what he wanted, why he did the things he did. The kid was just bluffing - just throwing around words and hoping that they would have an effect on Impmon. Well, he wouldn't let him.

He was not going to give him the fucking satisfaction.

"What do you even know about being partners, huh?! Do you even have friends?!"

Naruto froze. Impmon's lips stretched into a satisfied smirk at Naruto's expression.

"Those two idiots aren't your friends, they're just stuck with you, aren't they?! They have no choice but to let you hang around them!

"What could an idiot like you know? Why should I hang out with a loser like you?!"

And with that, he didn't await for a response. He simply turned and left. But, if he had stayed behind for just a little while longer, he would've realized that he wouldn't have gotten a response anyway.

For the first time, in a long time, Naruto was left speechless.

Red eyes glinted from the shadows, and the creature smirked.

* * *

"How does a signal like that just disappear?"

Mitsuo was left baffled as he continued to stare at the empty screen before him. The red dot had disappeared last night, and the cause remained unknown.

It frustrated him, the way many other things frustrated him.

"Sir!"

"What?"

The young woman in the seat looked rather alarmed when he turned back to face her.

"T-that's impossible?"

"Damn it, what is?!" he cried out louder as his frustration grew.

"T-there's a possibility that that Digimon may have not been alone."

Mitsuo's eyes widened behind his shades. "W-what?

* * *

He was on the swings again. He was always there whenever he felt down.

That's just one of the many things she had noticed about him.

Suzie tilted her head curiously as her seating partner swung halfheartedly on the only tree swing in the entire park where her brother had dropped her off in the playground area with other kids before running off.

If his expression was anything to learn from, he definitely felt down.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

The young boy stopped swinging. Suzie's eyes widened when he lifted his head and allowed her to see the two usually bright orbs unusually cold and empty.

No, he wasn't just 'down'. It was _way_ worse.

"Oh, hey, Suzie," he greeted quietly.

"H... hey," she replied unsure.

His eyes weren't meeting hers. They normally did. Naruto was the kind of person who always made sure to look people right in the eye when he spoke to them.

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"

It was a few seconds before he nodded solemnly.

Suzie had no idea what to do. It was obvious that he wasn't 'okay'. She saw it in the way he slumped in his seat, in his vacant expression, and the way his legs made the most subtle effort to go back and forth and swing in his seat.

"Hey!" she spoke more cheerily in an effort to lift his mood, "Have you got any pranks planned for Monday?" she asked excitedly.

"Nah," he replied, "Not today."

Suzie's confidence dropped. Well, that didn't go so well.

"What's wrong?" she asked again.

The swinging stopped again, and for a moment, Suzie dreaded ever asking the question as the boy remained still.

"Hey, Suzie, are we... friends?"

Suzie flinched, the question taking her by surprise. Never had she expected something like that to come out of the blonde's lips.

Her hands clenched into fists, and before she could stop herself, the next thing she knows, she is driving her fist upside the blonde's head.

Naruto cried out as a small bump formed at the top of his head, which he immediately clenches with his hands in an effort to ease the pain.

"W-what was that for?!" he yelled angrily.

"For being a _baka*_!"

Naruto froze.

"What kind of question is that?!" she asked angrily.

Sure, they only spoke at school. Sure, they weren't able to hang out after school because Naruto left with Takato and Suzie had to leave with Henry. Sure, most of the kids at their school didn't like Naruto and they always told her she should stay away from him. But, Naruto has been the person she has shared a seat with since... well, since forever.

"Of course we're friends!"

How could he have forgotten the various times they've played together during recess? How could he forget all the times they've joked around in class? How could he have forgotten the first time they met?

 _"Leave her alone, you idiots!"_

The day when he defended her from the bullies that even her brother had been unaware of. The day he stood up for her when she couldn't, and took the fists as punishment.

"How could you even ask something like that?!"

Naruto's eyes widened. And slowly, a small smile spread across facial features.

"Yeah... that was stupid of me, huh?"

Suzie nodded furiously, obviously still angered over it.

"Sorry, Suzie," he apologized, "Today's just been a rough day, that's all."

"Well, it's about to get rougher from here on out, kid."

Naruto had no time to react to the voice behind him. The last thing he saw, was Suzie's horrified expression. And the last thing he heard, was her horrified scream as a hit even stronger than Suzie's fists struck him from behind and darkness overtook him.

* * *

Takato sighed as he finally arrived home. He was back unusually early, but the day had been tiring and once Guilmon was back to normal after a long night and day of trying to get him to de-Digivolve, the only thing he wanted to do was to make sure he was hidden back safely in his hideout so he could go home and finish his homework.

Unfortunately, that's not what he got.

"I'm home!" he greeted as he open the door to his parent's bakery.

"Wait, he's here I'll ask him. Takato!"

Takato's mother removed the phone from her ear and turned to Takato with a worried expression.

"Yeah?" he asked, his mother's worry reaching out towards him.

"Have you seen Naruto? Tsunade-san says that he should've been home by now."

"Huh? I thought he had gone home," Takato responded, feeling the tinge of worry sparking in his heart, "He was with Henry and me at the park, but -"

His cellphone's ring caught him by surprise, and Takato reached into his pockets to pull it out.

"Hello?"

"Takato?" Henry's alarmed voice sounded through the device, and Takato swore he could hear a little girl crying from the other side as well.

"Henry?"

"Meet me at the park." He demanded.

"What?"

"Now!"

Takato turned to look at his mother's worried expression, and, not for the first time today, he felt a sense of panic ignite within himself as he realized that the day wasn't over and it would be a while before he could come home and rest.

Today, was just getting better and better.

* * *

He was walking around the park blindly. The sun was going down, and though he had planned to avoid this particular area after the confrontation that took place earlier, he doubted that Naruto would show his face here after the harsh words Impmon had thrown his way.

The boy's expression had been damn near broken by the time he had left.

Not that he cared. Impmon had let his feelings be heard and now, he could truly be at peace with no more brats running after him in an effort to tie him down to one person with a ball and chain.

And yet, there was a small, teeny tiny part of him that felt... guilty.

He shook it off. "You did what you had to," he muttered to himself.

"Of course you did," Impmon flinched and whipped around to see the same Devimon from before floating in front of him. "Not like you had much of a choice either," smirked the taller Digimon. "The brat needed to be taught a lesson, and you taught a heck of a lesson."

"What do you want?" he asked, hiding the same fear he had felt just earlier in the day when he had been confronted by the same Digimon.

"Have you thought about my offer?"

Impmon frowned and crossed his arms, "How many times do I have to tell you? No means no. Impmon works alone."

Devimon's grin, however, didn't disappear with Impmon's answer. In fact, it just seemed to grow.

"Then, maybe you'll change your mind after what I show you."

Impmon's frown disappeared, his curiosity flared. "Show me what?"

Devimon extended his long arm, "Follow me, and I'll show you."

Impmon was a Digimon that, admittedly, has made some pretty regrettable choices in the past. Still, that never stopped him from making certain decisions that still placed a large amount of doubt in his heart.

So, when he proceeded to follow Devimon, he knew that this was going to be one of those decisions.

* * *

It was already nighttime by the time Takato got to Guilmon's hideout, where he saw Henry along with Terriermon standing in front of the gates with worried expressions on their faces.

He ran towards them and stopped to catch his breath. "What happened?" he asked.

Henry sighed, "Suzie got home an hour ago," he started, "She said that she had been with Naruto when a 'scary monster' attacked him from behind and took him away."

Takato's eyes widened, the panic that had been building up since his mother got that phone call from Tsunade grew, and it took all his will power to not crumble to the ground before his friends and have a panic attack right then and there.

"Shit," he clenched his head with his hands, _"Shitshitshitshitshit."_

"Calm down, Takato," Henry grabbed him from the shoulders, "We're going to find him."

"That is, if he's still there," Takato found himself whispering.

"Well, that's a pessimistic way to look at things," commented Terriermon.

Henry rolled his eyes, "Suzie said that the Digimon took Naruto with it, that means that it clearly wants him for something. He's still there."

Takato took a deep breath, and nodded. His eyes narrowed and he looked at his partner who had gotten out of the cage. He looked angry. His yellow, vibrant eyes were narrowed, and he was clearly ready for battle.

"You ready?" asked Takato. Guilmon nodded.

"I also called Rika," commented Henry, "She said it was none of her business that Naruto was missing, but once I mentioned a Digimon was involved... well, I know she's going to be there."

Takato nodded. The more help, the better.

For two years now, Takato has been in charge of Naruto as his babysitter. And throughout that time, the boy has become like the little brother he had never had. He was responsible for him, and he couldn't fail him now.

They were going to find him.

If it wasn't already too late.

* * *

His head hurt.

That was the first thing he noticed when consciousness began to drift into his mind.

His head throbbed with an intense pain unlike one he'd ever felt before, and it made him groan as his eyes blinked open, only to be greeted with darkness.

 _'Where am I?'_ he thought as he tried to look around, but it was no use. The entire place was dark.

He attempted to sit up, only to realize that his hands were tied behind from the wrists, along with his ankles. Panic began to course through his veins as he writhed in the coils tied around his limbs.

 _'What is this?'_

"HELP!" he cried out. The sound of his cry echoed back to him like a broken record, and Naruto's headache became more painful as the sound bounced back loudly.

"Is anybody out there?" More echoes.

He silently cursed a word he's heard Tsunade-baachan use before when she thought Naruto couldn't hear.

He didn't know what happened. The last thing he remembered was being in the swing at the park when Suzie showed up and then...

Oh, no.

 _'Suzie!'_

Questions immediately began to run around his already panicked mind. Was Suzie alright? Was she hurt? Did whoever kidnap him get her, too? Was she somewhere around here?

"SUZIEE!"

When nothing but his voice was the only thing that answered back, Naruto slumped back to the ground. He attempted to sit up once again, which was easier said than done when you had your hands tied behind your back. After struggling for what felt like forever, Naruto finally managed to sit up...

... And immediately began to cry.

Naruto hasn't been in many scary situations before. But, there had been one particular scenario that had completely frightened him and almost made him "have an accident." Back when he had been taken hostage by a thief in the middle of the night on his way to school to get ready for a prank he had planned the day before. In that moment, the fear had been like nothing he had ever felt before.

This, was that scenario multiplied by ten.

Tears streamed silently down his cheeks. Despite his fear, Naruto wasn't one who particularly enjoyed showing such an emotion to those around him. It made him feel weak. And he hated feeling weak. He had vowed long ago that he would remain strong for those around him, and right now, he was breaking that promise.

"HELP!" He cried out once again. But, there was no use. Wherever he was, he doubted that anybody could hear him.

So he sat there, and wept as quietly as he could.

Until his ears picked up the sound of small footsteps in the darkness.

His eyes widened and he looked up. He tried vainly to somehow see through the darkness to catch sight of whoever had entered the building. But, it's not like he had night vision to help with that.

So when the lights turned on and Naruto was forced to close his eyes when the rays stabbed painfully into his eyes, he had been slightly relieved.

But, when he finally opened his eyes and he saw the two forms that stood at the entrance of the abandoned warehouse he seemed to be in, that relief was replaced by fear.

And for the second time in his life, Naruto almost had another "accident".

* * *

They had been walking for a while now. Impmon felt slightly offended; here was a Digimon who could fly faster than a cheetah could run, but he had opted to walk just so Impmon could follow.

Sure, he couldn't fly or even hope to keep up to the older Digimon's speed. But, still...

"We're almost there," spoke Devimon as he walked in front of him.

Impmon opted not to answer. That's what he's been saying for the past twenty-something blocks since even before they reached the shady part of the city - where the lights flickered like those in horror movies and buildings were barely standing and nearly abandoned.

"So, tell me," spoked Impmon as they continued to move through the darkness. "Why me? I mean, why not any other Digimon?"

"As I've said before, the Digimon here are foolish. Most of them either seek to find a human partner to help them Digivolve, or they become careless and allow themselves to be defeated by weaklings, like DeviDramon had allowed himself to be," answered Devimon.

"I don't know if you noticed earlier pal, but I wasn't even able to stand a chance against your old 'friend'." Crap. Admitting that hurt his pride a lot more than he thought it would.

"Maybe so," smirked Devimon, "But, you've got potential. I can tell. And if you join me, well, I can help put that potential to good use."

Impmon stared at Devimon's back before shifting his eyes to the ground and contemplating his words. The offer did sound enticing. And if Devimon was able to help DeviDramon become who he was before his demise at the hands of Growlmon, then who's to say that he wouldn't be able to help Impmon become stronger? And even better: Digivolve?

He hadn't exactly been successful out on his own in the human world, and though he had refused the idea of a partner for so long, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to align himself with Devimon. They did think alike. And having a strong Digimon such as Devimon by his side could help his reputation.

 _"Stop lying to yourself!"_

He shook his head as the words from earlier today passed through his mind. No. He definitely wasn't going to think about that now.

Curse his betraying mind.

Impmon didn't notice that Devimon had finally stopped until he bumped against his leg.

His really _hard_ leg.

"We're here."

Impmon groaned as he rubbed his forehead, but he looked up at the building that Devimon was staring at with an exciting glint in his red eyes that made him unusually uncomfortable.

It was obvious that the building had been abandoned a long time ago; the windows were all but shattered, and the wood was rotting after years of mistreatment.

It didn't look like a cozy place. Or even one that would last long before it completely fell apart.

Devimon glanced at Impmon who was busy staring at the tall building with something akin to doubt, and motioned towards the entrance with his head. "Come on."

Devimon walked through the doors and disappeared into the darkness within. Impmon stared at the open doors for a minute before he too followed.

Despite his lack of abilities in various fields, Impmon did have good vision and was able to easily follow Devimon's form through the darkness as they twisted and turned through various hallways.

He felt uneasy. There was something about this situation that wasn't... right. His gut was telling him to turn and run away as fast as possible from this place before he did something that he'll never be able to take back, but there was another part of him that threatened him to stay, or else, he'll regret it.

When Devimon stopped in the middle of an entrance to another room, Impmon stood still right behind him as the Digimon's large hand reached towards the wall and flicked something that might've been a light switch.

Impmon clenched his eyes shut as a set of lights illuminated the entire room, stabbing his corneas like they were knives.

When he opened them again, they widened as he felt his heart fall to the ground in between his feet and shatter into a million pieces.

He really regretted not walking away from the building the minute he laid eyes on it.

* * *

Naruto gaped at the two creatures that stood before him. One of them he could easily recognize (he'd recognize him from a mile away), but the other one... the other one looked like a monster straight out of his nightmares.

Its blood red eyes watched his trembling form with something that seemed like amusement and sadistic glee. Like just watching the young boy bound and helpless made him happy.

"I got you a gift."

Naruto had a feeling that the creature's cold voice wasn't directed at him, but that didn't stop the chills from travelling wildly up and down his spine.

Impmon stood next to the frightening creature with an expression of shock. Like he hadn't expected Naruto to be here at all, even though the blond suspected the small Digimon had been a part of this all along in an effort to get revenge against him for everything he had done since they've met.

Well, just another regret to add to Naruto's long-ass list.

"I know how much this brat has been a nuisance to you."

All Naruto did was blink, and the creature was standing there before him, his towering form creating a shadow that completely covered his own smaller body. Panic coursed through his veins and fear gripped his heart tightly, as the creature smiled evilly at the young boy.

"So, I decided to give you a choice..."

Naruto cried out as the monster picked him up by the scruff of his jacket, his legs kicked back and forth but it did no effect on the creature even when his feet made contact with the monster's marked chest.

Devimon turned his head to face Impmon, who stood frozen with a shocked expression still glued to his face. Devimon smirked.

"To permanently get rid of the vermin that's been following you around like a disease."

* * *

"Damn it. Where the hell are we going?"

They had been running for hours. Or at least, it felt like hours.

Guilmon was following the Digimon's trail like a good tracking dog, but so far they had been led to a part of the city that not even Takato remembered ever existing and he was beginning to doubt his fellow partner's capability to track wild Digimon.

"We have to be getting closer," said Henry as he ran alongside him, "It obviously knew that we would go after Naruto, which means that this Digimon had planned this already. He knew about us. And Naruto."

Takato's heart dropped even further down his body at Henry's statement. If that was true... if what Henry said was true... then what was to say that this whole thing wasn't his fault?

Takato was the one that introduced Naruto to the Digimon world because of his carelessness. If he had just bothered to check that Naruto had stayed home like he had told him, then they wouldn't be in this situation.

It was all his fault...

"Hey!"

Takato was brought back to the real world by Henry's cry, and he glanced at his friend running beside him.

"Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault."

Takato's eyes widened at Henry's comment. And even though he didn't believe Henry's words for even a minute, he still nodded in appreciation to his friend's effort to comfort him.

"Momentai, Takato. Momentai."

That's true. Henry and Terriermon had a point; he could blame himself for this later. But, right now...

... There were more important things to deal with than guilt.

* * *

He couldn't move. Hell, he didn't even think he was breathing. Time had stood still and all Impmon could do was stand frozen in shock in front of the entrance to this God-forsaken room.

Devimon stood there with an arrogant grin as he held Naruto by his jacket, with the boy squirming in his grip in a lame attempt to get the tall Digimon to release him.

"Come on Impmon," he heard Devimon's voice cut through the haze that clouded his mind. "I know how much you hate the kid," Naruto cried as he was shaken roughly by Devimon's hand, "Don't tell me you don't feel the need to get rid of him once and for all."

No. He didn't. Sure, he thought the blond was annoying, but that didn't mean he wanted the kid dead. No. He hated humans, sure, but never to that point. Never.

"If you don't do it, then I'm going to have to do it myself."

Impmon's eyes widened along with Naruto's as Devimon tapped Naruto's small chest with a clawed finger.

"W-wait!" He took a step forward.

"Well, come on," encouraged Devimon, "I don't have all day.

"I'm only giving you what you wanted all along."

Impmon's eyes widened. Is that what this guy thought Impmon wanted? That he wanted Naruto dead? That he wanted to kill humans?

"These creatures are pathetic, don't you agree?" spoke Devimon again. "The way they walk around like cockroaches and talk big, but their bite doesn't even tickle."

Naruto's tears continued to stream, and though the boy bit his lips and glared at Devimon in an attempt to appear intimidating, Impmon could see the boy's fear as clear as rain. And he was reminded of his own earlier attempts to appear fearless in front of this Digimon that was obviously way out of his league.

"They're so annoying, really. A nuisance," Devimon continued.

"It would just be better if we got rid of them, once and for all."

Impmon felt a small sense of relief when Devimon moved his clawed hand away from Naruto's chest, and extended his long arm towards Impmon.

"Join me, Impmon. Let's show these foolish humans, who truly is the superior being."

Devimon had expected the silence. He had expected a loud, vehement 'Yes!'. He had expected a murderous glint in those eyes.

What he hadn't expected - what neither of them had expected - was the sound of booming laughter erupting from Impmon's very own lips.

Devimon and Naruto blinked, completely baffled as the small Digimon clutched his stomach and laughed boisterously.

Even Impmon was taken by surprise as he crumbled to the ground and rolled around in a fit of laughter that didn't seem like it would stop any time soon.

Finally, Impmon's laughter slowly died out and he sat up, wiping a tear from his eyes as he faced Devimon with the same mischievous expression he wears most of his days.

"Hell no! Are you stupid?"

Devimon frowned. "What?" he growled out.

"Why the hell would I waste my time eliminating those pesky humans?" he asked, "I got better things to do!

"I want to show everybody in this God-forsaken world that I'm strong, and I can't do that if I eliminate all the coherent creatures in existence no matter how stupid they are!"

Devimon's eyes widened. But, the moment his shocked expression scrunched up into one of pure anger, Impmon knew...

... He fucked up.

"Why you - _Gah_!"

Devimon pulled his arm back and released Naruto from his grasps when he felt a stabbing pain his hand. The little shit had bitten him.

He held his hand in pain and he glared at the young boy that met his own gaze with a furious glare of his own. Well, the little shit had balls, he'll give him that.

"You little...!"

Impmon's eyes widened as Devimon pulled his arm back and got ready to stab Naruto the way he had been planning to earlier.

He saw Naruto's eyes widen in fear as he moved at a speed he never knew he possessed. Before he knew it, he was right in front of the blond and stood before Devimon. Devimon stopped his attack and stared at Impmon with a curious expression, before his red eyes glinted menacingly.

"So, this is what you choose, huh?"

Impmon didn't answer as he stood still between Naruto and Devimon with a determined expression in his face.

"Impmon," whispered Naruto.

"Very well then," a dark orb formed in Devimon's palm, but still Impmon didn't budge.

"Then you can go ahead and die with him!"

 _"Diamond Storm!"_

Devimon didn't even flinch as the sharpened leaves struck his back, not even leaving a mark in the process.

Impmon's eyes widened as he saw Renamon appear near the entrance with his partner, Rika he believed, running to her side.

"Oh, look," spoke Devimon as he looked at both fighters, "Even more scum."

Rika pulled out her Digivice and a hologram with Devimon's image appeared on the screen.

"Devimon, the Champion form of... Impmon?" Rika's eyes widened. "His attacks include _'The Touch of Evil'_ and ' _Death Hand.'_

"Shit," she cursed. "This one's going to be a tough one. You ready Renamon?"

Renamon glanced back at his partner and nodded.

"Awww, how sweet, you actually think you can take me on?" mocked Devimon.

"Renamon, let's show this bastard whose boss."

Renamon didn't respond before she jumped into the air and a group of glowing shards formed around her, which proceeded to strike Devimon.

 _"Diamond Storm!"_

Devimon didn't even bother to dodge the attack, and let it make contact with his body that stood unharmed.

"Oh, please." The dark orb formed in his pal once again, and a blast of dark energy was unleashed.

 _"Death Hand!"_

Renamon's eyes widened as the attack came towards her at an unprecedented speed that took her by surprise. She barely managed to dodge the move and glanced back as it struck the wall behind her and exploded, creating a massive hole.

 _'So fast,'_ she awed, _'And powerful.'_

"Renamon, look out!"

Renamon's eyes widened when Devimon appeared right in front of her, his elongated hands reached towards her and grasped onto her shoulders before she could move. His red eyes glowed and a dark aura emanated from his body that continued to spread over to Renamon's own.

 _"The Touch of Evil."_

Renamon's eyes widened before her body slumped forward slightly, and her own blue eyes turned into a vibrant red similar to Devimon's own. Devimon released his grasp on the fox Digimon, and smirked as the dark aura continued to surround Renamon.

Rika's eyes widened as she watched her own partner be caught in a trance-like state.

"There we go, good girl," purred the dark Digimon, "Now, do me a favor," he pointed a clawed finger at the shocked Rika who stood from a distance, "Get rid of that pestilence."

Rika's eyes widened even more as her partner turned to look at her with those bright, red eyes that shone menacingly in her direction.

"R-Renamon?"

Renamon didn't seem to hear her as she took a step towards her, forcing Rika to take a step back in fear.

"Renamon! Snap out of it!" she yelled in an attempt to reach her friend. Who was for some reason following Devimon's orders.

"Sorry, she won't listen to you," Devimon chuckled as he placed his hand on Renamon's shoulder, who didn't even flinch upon the contact, "Your partner's under my control now."

Rika's eyes widened. Every cell in her body was telling her to run. To turn tail and get out as fast as she could. But, she wasn't stupid. She knew that no matter how fast she could run, she could never hope to outrun somebody like Renamon whose talent laid in stealth.

Before Renamon could proceed with Devimon's orders, she cried out when she felt a burning sensation hit her back.

"Hey! Don't you dare forget about me!"

The three fighters turned to see Impmon, standing a couple of feet in front of a scared Naruto who watched the scene taking place with a mix of awe, fear, and admiration.

"You stupid fox! This battle is mine! _Bada Boom_!"

Renamon moved to the side to avoid Impmon's fire, but didn't move to attack him back.

Devimon scoffed, "Oh, I'm going to deal with you personally, alright," he spoke.

"Renamon, you deal with the human girl," he ordered her before glaring at Impmon who stood tall in the face of adversity, "I got him."

Renamon didn't need to be told twice, she jumped in the air and the same crystal leaves from before formed around her. Rika's eyes widened as she recognized the attack and noticed that it was directed towards her.

Impmon formed another fireball in an attempt to stop the attack, but Devimon's body slamming against his own and into a wall stopping his attack from even forming.

"Impmon!" cried out Naruto as a cloud of dust formed over the wall where both Digimon had slammed against, creating another hole through the wood of the building.

 _"Diamond Storm!"_

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to see Renamon's attack flying towards Rika, who put her arms over her head and closed her eyes in fear.

 _"Pyro Blast!"_

A large ball of fire appeared from the entrance and hit Renamon's attack, completely destroying the shards before it could hit Rika.

Rika's eyes widened and she looked up to see Henry, Takato, Guilmon, and Terriermon running through the entrance before stopping next to her.

"Whoa, what happened to Renamon?" asked Takato as he took in Renamon's dark and trance-like appearance.

"The Digimon has him under control," explained Rika.

"What Digimon?" asked Henry.

"Henry." Henry glanced at his partner who had a worried and almost fearful expression on his face.

"What is it?" he asked his partner with a hint of concern.

"Impmon!"

The three tamers and two Digimon turned to the other side of the room where they saw an injured Impmon flying across the air before skidding over the dirty floor. His body stopped in the middle of the room, but he didn't move and simply attempted to catch his breath.

Takato's eyes widened as he caught sight of Naruto, completely bound and writhing in an attempt to make his binds loosen up. "Naruto!" he cried out.

"Renamon! Get rid of those kids and their Digimon!"

Henry's and Takato's eyes widened at the tall dark Digimon that appeared on the other side of the room, walking towards Impmon's still form.

"W-what kind of Digimon is that?" asked Takato.

"Devimon," answered Rika, "The Champion level form of Impmon," the others' eyes widened.

"Impmon?" asked a shocked Takato.

"He's awfully strong, too," continued Rika. Her hands clenched into fists as Renamon proceeded to take a battle stance when Guilmon crouched threateningly and Terriermon jumped from Henry's shoulder in order to confront her. "He managed to take control over Renamon."

"What?!" cried out both Henry and Takato.

"How is that even possible?" asked Henry.

Rika shook her head. "I don't know. But, I have a feeling we're going to have to defeat him in order to release Renamon."

"Easier said than done when you've got Renamon going all evil on us," commented Takato. When Rika turned to glare at him, he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Leave him alone!"

Takato's eyes widened when another concern of his came back to haunt him. He turned to see Naruto struggling to his feet as Devimon walked slowly towards the downed Impmon.

"Shit! Naruto!"

"Wait, Takato!"

Takato didn't heed Henry's call as he ran towards Naruto. It was that mistake that nearly cost him his life.

Renamon moved faster than the eye could blink, and Takato's eyes widened as she appeared before him with an arm pulled back and ready to strike.

He froze in fear, as time slowed down and he saw Renamon's fist move slowly towards his abdomen. But, before the fist could strike, Renamon was shoved back by a red blur that slammed against her side.

"Get away from Takato!"

Takato mentally thanked Guilmon as he shoved Renamon away from him and proceeded to battle her with Terriermon joining in.

"Thanks guys! Keep her busy!" he called out as he continued to run towards Naruto, who continued to struggle in his bonds.

* * *

Impmon slowly pushed himself off the ground and glared at the dark Digimon that walked slowly towards him, almost mockingly.

Before he could completely lift himself up though, Devimon stomped a foot onto his back, making him cry out in pain.

 _"Gyah!"_

"Tsk tsk tsk. Foolish Impmon," spoke Devimon, "I guess I overestimated you."

He shoved his foot deeper into Impmon's back, who attempted to bite his cries of pain off by biting his lips, only to fail.

"Here I thought you were smarter than all those other Digimon, but I was wrong. I offered you a shot at something great, and instead you decided to make me look like a fool."

Devimon bent down and leaned to whisper in Impmon's ear, "Do you know how pissed I get when somebody makes me look like a fool?"

Another Dark Orb formed in Devimon's palm.

 _"Very."_

Impmon's eyes widened. Death was here. It was winking at him from Devimon's palm.

And for some reason, despite the dread that he felt upon the idea of confronting Death here and now, he felt ready. Sure it sucked. It's not like it had been his dream to die and be absorbed as data by another Digimon that was a total a-hole. But, at least he'd go down fighting.

That was his way.

So he smirked. His swollen eyes glinted mischievously as he met Devimon's own red ones.

"Well, you don't need me to make yourself look like an idiot."

Devimon frowned, and Impmon's heart smiled in satisfaction.

 _"Just die."_

 _He had expected the darkness. Expected the end. Expected the peace and finality of death as he disintegrated into small pieces of data that would continue to live on in a different Digimon as a source of power._

 _What he hadn't expected, was for a yellow blur to appear in front of him._

 _Nor had he expected the cries of fear and pain as somebody met their end._

 ** _TBC..._**

* * *

 **A/N: Holy krappu this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed!~ If you have any questions about certain things in this story that you need clarifying, feel free to PM me.**

 **suntan140: Awww, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! And yup. That is coming up pretty soon! :D**

 **zerox (Guest): Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :DDD**

 **0 Jordinio 0: God, I know! Switching between past and present tense is a bad habit of mine. I've been trying to fix that, but it still happens from time to time, sadly. I really appreciate you reading this story and taking the time to review :). What I don't appreciate, however, is what you said about my beta. You can be as honest as you want with me, I honestly don't care and I appreciate constructive criticism. However, that last statement of yours wasn't constructive criticism, that was plain rude. Even the fact that you cursed in your review is rude, and that is something I don't appreciate. My beta, mellra, is one of the best ones I've ever had and he helps me with my stories to the best of his ability. So you can take that boot and shove it up yours. I will continue to improve my writing and fix those things that you pointed out, thank you for reading and reviewing! :)**

 **thor94: Thank you for reviewing! True, but that's because the previous chapter was only meant to set the stage for this one here. And I rewatched the anime; the twins don't have their D-Arc until after Impmon returns from the Digitial World and reunites with them.**

 **ivan0061509: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and I hope you enjoyed this just as much!**

 **Radiant Celestial Aura: Thank you! Here is another one!**

 **Thank you all who read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed! it really makes me so happy that people enjoy this story and I appreciate all the constructive criticism I receive from you guys! It helps me improve my writing! :D**

 **As a gift, here's a preview!**

 _ **Chapter 4: Ties**_

 _"YOU IDIOT, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"_

* * *

 _"Why...?"_

 _"Cause... we're partners..."_

* * *

 _"Is that a..."_

 _"Unbelievable..."_

* * *

 _"You fool! Do you honestly believe you can defeat **me**?!"_

* * *

 ** _DIGIVOLUTION_**

 **I want to thank my super-duper awesome mellra for making this chapter possible! :D**

 **Thank you all so much for reading! And I will see you all next time! Arc of Fairies is next in the update list!**

 **And please review if you enjoyed! :D**


	5. Chapter 4: Ties

Disclaimer: I own nothing. But... soon...

 _"Friendship... is born at the moment when one man says to another, 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself...'"_

 _~ C.S Lewis_

 _ **Partners**_

 **Chapter 4**

 **Ties**

* * *

It all happened in a blur.

 _"Naruto!"_

 _"Takato-nii!"_

 _The blond was squirming in the bindings that kept his ankles and wrists locked together, attempting and failing to release himself from the ties Devimon had placed on him. Takato moved as quick as he possibly could. He kneeled down next to the young blond and began fiddling with the ropes._

 _"Don't worry, I'll get you out," he muttered more to himself than anybody else._

 _Naruto stopped squirming in order to make it easier for the older boy, but his eyes remained glued to Impmon's form being thrown around by Devimon like a rag doll._

 _"Hurry, Takato!"_

 _"Going, going," he muttered in frustration._

 _After what felt like forever, the ropes came undone and Naruto untangled his arms and pushed himself off the ground, only to fall again due to the ropes tied around his ankles._

 _"Wait. Not done yet," muttered Takato as he began to remove the ropes binding Naruto's ankles._

 _Naruto began getting fidgety as he watched Devimon slowly approach Impmon's downed body. Takato moved as quickly as he could, and when the ropes finally came undone, he had no time to react before Naruto moved._

 _Takato watched in horror as Naruto sprinted towards the battle between both dark Digimon, which Devimon was so clearly about to win._

 _The dark sphere that formed in his palm was pointed towards Impmon, who laid on the floor in resignation to his fate, neither of them aware of the blond coming his way._

 _And Takato could do nothing but scream as Naruto got between Devimon's attack and Impmon._

 _"Narutoooooooooo!"_

Impmon's eyes widened as soon as he saw the yellow blur appear in front of him, intercepting the attack. Time stood still and everybody froze - shock and horror written all over their expressions.

 _"Gyah!"_

Pain. Fire. Agony.

Those were the very sensations cursing throughout his entire body, all of it originating from the circular wound in his shoulder that seemed to screech in uncontained agony.

He clutched the wound tightly with his other hand and cringed at the sound of somebody screaming bloody murder in the distance.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that he realized he was the one screaming.

"Naruto!"

Impmon was panicking. Naruto was squirming on the floor less than a foot away from him with a bloody hole in his shoulder, which was pouring blood and staining the boy's orange clothing a dark red color that made Impmon's stomach coil.

Somehow, someway, he found the strength within himself to pick himself off the floor, and the next thing he knew, he was by Naruto's side unsure of what to do.

 _'W-what do I do?'_ he wondered as his gloved hands floated over the blond's flailing body, fearing that any touch, any poke or prod, could shatter the young boy into a million tiny pieces.

"Naruto!"

Not even five seconds later, Impmon was joined by Takato who with shaky hands, began clutching tightly onto Naruto's wound.

"Impmon, your bandana!" he cried out in desperation.

Impmon flinched and looked up at Takato questioningly, taken aback by the wild panic in the boy's eyes as he stared pleadingly at Impmon. Once he caught onto what Takato was asking of him, Impmon removed his bandana and handed it to Takato - ignoring the way he felt naked without it - and watched as Takato placed the bandana over Naruto's bleeding wound.

Naruto was squirming, kicking and screaming in pain over the devastating injury that was almost the size of the the blond's small fist and most likely went in through one side and out through the other.

Naruto... who sacrificed himself all in order to save Impmon.

His hands clenched tightly into fists as he watched Takato uselessly attempt to stop the blood flow and offer words of comfort to Naruto who could not hear him over his screams.

 _'Why?'_

"Takato! How is he?" he heard Henry ask.

Impmon glanced back to see Henry and Rika still standing far off near the wall, both wearing horrified expressions and Impmon swore he could see tears in Rika's eyes.

"He needs a hospital, fast!" answered Takato. Though, it was obvious that the boy himself was panicking and had no idea what to do or how he was going to get Naruto to a hospital when they were in the middle of a battle.

The battle between Guilmon, Terriermon, and possessed Renamon hadn't stopped. But it was obvious by the way Guilmon and Terriermon were moving hesitantly and with terrified expressions, that they were shaken up from what just transpired.

Impmon frowned and clenched his jaw. He could hear his teeth gritting against each other and he turned back to glare at the blond who had finally stopped screaming and was now merely gasping desperately for gulps of air.

 _"Be my partner!"_

 _"I'm not giving up, Impmon!"_

 _"Stop lying to yourself."_

The frustration, the anger, the regret... it was all too much and overwhelming. Why? Whywhy _why_?

"Why?" he heard himself whisper. For weeks, Naruto had been chasing him down like a stray puppy with the intent of forcing Impmon into a partnership that he wanted no part of. And Impmon always refused. And yet, the blond hadn't given up, despite Impmon's attitude towards him. And now... despite everything Impmon had done, Naruto had sacrificed himself for him.

He just couldn't understand it.

"B-Because..."

Impmon's eyes widened. Naruto's eyes were opened slightly and clouded in pain, but looking at Impmon with an unreadable expression that quite honestly scared Impmon. There was no hatred, nor regret. In fact, Impmon was even more shocked when a familiar small smile found its way to Naruto's lips.

"W-we're p-p-partners."

Impmon's eyes widened further as Naruto's own blue orbs closed shut in pain, and he proceeded to squirm in misery.

"Stay with me, Naruto. Stay with me." Takato repeated like a mantra as he took out the phone in his pocket and began to dial a number, only to yelp in panic when a large clawed hand swiped the phone.

"I gotta admit, I did not expect that," said Devimon as he crushed the small device and let the small pieces drop to the floor. Devimon chuckled slightly and glanced down at the group of three with a sadistic expression as Takato tried in vain to glare at him despite the fear that had him shaking in his boots. "For this boy to sacrifice himself for a Digimon that made it obvious he hates him," Devimon laughed, "What a fool!"

Impmon's face scrunched up in fury and his hands clenched even more tightly. The pain that had had him motionless on the floor minutes ago was now forgotten, and he was left with a deep-seated hatred that burned passionately in his heart. A hatred unlike any other.

"Why you..."

Devimon laughed, interrupting Impmon's furious growl. "Look at the bright side," Devimon spread his large bony arms and smiled widely at Impmon with a fanged smile, "At least he won't bother you anymore." He continued to laugh.

Impmon's eyes widened, and Rika's words from earlier echoed in his mind.

 _'Is this... what I will turn into if I digivolve?'_

Impmon's hatred flared even more and more to the point that he could feel it physically burning him from the inside, setting his innards on fire. But, it was the fear at the thought of Digivolving into this... this _monster_ that continued to fuel that hatred. A hatred reserved, not just for Devimon, but for himself as well.

 _'I don't want to turn into him.'_

Devimon's laughter faded and he glanced down at the group with a sadistic glee that made Takato's heart curl in slightly.

"Might as well put him out of his misery, don't you agree?" He raised a clawed hand and his attack formed once again at the palm of his hand.

Impmon's fury peaked.

 _"Get away from him!"_

It happened suddenly. One minute, Devimon was standing ready to eliminate the humans and Impmon from the face of the Earth, and the next, he was sent flying against the wall due to a devastating punch.

Impmon stood tall with shaky legs and panting slightly, standing protectively in front of Naruto and Takato who stared in shock.

"I-Impmon." whispered Takato.

Nobody had seen it coming. The light that appeared before him and above the hurt Naruto, was blinding and Takato had to shut his eyes from the intensity of it. But once it cleared, and he was able to open them, his eyes widened from what he saw slowly descending to rest in Naruto's palm.

"I-Is that a...?"

 **\\.~0~./**

When Calumon had seen the group of kids running down the street with their Digimon, his curiosity had been grabbed and it didn't take much convincing for him to follow the group right behind them toward their destination.

After all, wherever they went, there had to be fun, right?

Though the group had been too caught up in whatever it was they were doing, Calumon tailed right behind them with a palpable eagerness for adventure and fun.

Unfortunately, he realized far too late that 'fun' was not what they were heading for.

Calumon watched from the pillars on the ceiling in horror and shock. The battle had become intense and the blonde boy he had played with various times before in the past, laid injured and writhing in agony.

"Oh, what should I do?" he whimpered.

He wanted to help. He trully did. But, he didn't know what else he could do besides cheer from the sidelines. It was evident even to him that he was not a Digimon meant for battle, nor did he have any useful skills that could help the group in their current confrontation.

Little did he know, that his mere presence was the only help the group needed.

 **\\.~0~./**

Henry watched in bewilderment as the light dissipated from where Naruto and Takato were positioned.

"Impossible." He heard Rika whisper.

"A... Digivice?" Henry blinked as he caught sight of a familiar device in Naruto's palm which was clenched tightly from the immense pain he was suffering.

"But who's...?"

 _"Pyro Sphere."_

Henry was brought back to their own battle when Renamon dodged Guilmon's attack by moving to the side and running forward to punch the red Digimon under the jaw, sending him flying backwards and crashing against Terriermon who had been attempting to stand up.

"I don't get it, how is Renamon defeating both of them like this?" he asked quietly.

Rika scoffed. "Maybe because she's better than both of your Digimon combined?"

Henry shook his head as he analyzed Renamon's quick movements and compared them to Guilmon's and Terriermon's more desperate ones.

"No, something tells me it's more than that."

 _'Could it be that Devimon's ability did more than take over Renamon's mind? Maybe, he even managed to make her even more stronger than before.'_

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a set of cards.

"Rika, call the police now, and have them send an ambulance for Naruto," he ordered as he searched through his cards.

"And what do we tell them?" Rika crossed her arms. "That some giant monster attacked us and nearly killed Naruto," her voice seemed to crack at the last part of her sentence.

Henry glanced at her, and his expression softened when he noticed the way she was trying to hide her fear and shakiness at the sight of the injured blonde. "Naruto needs medical attention. And he needs it now. We'll worry about coming up with a plausible explanation for the authorities later."

In the end, Rika nodded and pulled out her phone.

Henry nodded in gratitude and pulled out the card he was looking for from his deck.

 _'Time to get this over with.'_

* * *

Impmon had not been able to see the Digivice appear in Naruto's hand. But he did feel something different as Devimon stood from the floor slowly and wiped his mouth, anger clearly written all over his face.

"Do you honestly believe that was a good idea?" he asked coldly.

"Best one I've had so far," muttered Impmon. _'And very satisfying.'_

Devimon smirked cockily. "You know, I really thought you were smarter than this Impmon. Really I did. That's why out of all the Digimon around, it was you I chose. We could've been great together. I could've helped you Digivolve. I could've-"

"Turn me into you," growled Impmon.

Devimon chuckled lightly, "You act as if you're not already on your way there."

Impmon's eyes widened slightly, but rapidly tried to hide his reaction by glaring at Devimon again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please," scoffed Devimon, "The way you always talk about humans and attack them as well as berate all Digimon who ally themselves with them. You know, that's how I started out as well."

"You mean before you turned into a killer?" spat Impmon.

"Isn't that what we exist for?" asked Devimon, spreading his arms widely. "We kill our own kind in order to attain more power, how is killing humans any different."

Impmon clenched his teeth, and cursed at himself for his lack of answer.

"Exactly," chuckled Devimon at Impmon's lack of response. "Humans are weak. Idiots. They created us but in the end, we are more powerful than they will ever be. What is the point of their existence? They serve no purpose except to waste space."

His clawed finger pointed at the blond boy clutched in Takato's grip, who tightened his hold over the blond.

"He is no different from the rest of his kind. The only reason he wants you is because he wants a pet like his other friends. He doesn't want a partner, he wants a dog that will follow his every command and fight his battles for him."

Devimon's smiled widened. "In fact, you're doing that right now."

Impmon growled, but he couldn't deny the fact that Devimon was partially right. For so long, Impmon rejected the idea of having a partner, especially if that partner was Naruto. He didn't want to be used like an attack dog the way the others used Guilmon and Terriermon. He's seen the way Rika has treated Renamon, and honestly he's seen dogs that are treated way better than how that vixen is treated by her so called partner.

And yet, here he was standing up for a human despite long ago convincing himself that he would never do such a thing. And he couldn't come up with a rational reason behind his uncharacteristic actions.

"I-Impmon..."

Impmon's eyes widened and he slowly glanced behind him.

Naruto was smiling slightly, and eyeing him with pained eyes.

"I-I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

"You're my partner."

Impmon's eyes widened, and he was left speechless.

"You fool!"

Takato's eyes widened when he saw Devimon charge at the smaller Digimon.

"Impmon look out!"

A bright white light emmitted from Naruto's digivice, and in the distance, a small Digimon yelped when the red triangle in his forehead shone in response.

 **DIGIVOLUTION**

 **\\.~0~./**

The feeling was strange and foreign, but the moment he saw Devimon stop in his tracks and stare at the scene in disbelief, and he strange sensations of his body, he knew...

...it finally happened.

 _"Impmon Digivolve to..."_

 _He grew in size. That's the first thing that he noticed. His once short and stubby body grew larger and his purple body was clothed in a yellow outfit with red rags sown into the fabric. His feet were encased in brown boots with a yellow crescent moon placed on each. His three fingers became four and were covered in brown gloves with rings around some fingers. His pointy ears disappeared and in their place was brown spiky hair that was covered by a large purple, pointy hat with a yellow skull wrapped in the front. A large purple cape with yellow symbols within it wrapped itself around his body and covered his mouth._

 _And in his hand appeared a large staff with a sun at the top._

 _The transformation was complete._

 ** _"Wizardmon!"_**

It was now time to kick some ass.

 **\\.~0~./**

Takato was left speechless as he eyed Impmon's new form, standing tall and strong before Devimon.

Wizardmon. That's what he had called himself.

He pulled out his digivice and immediately began his scanning.

"Wizardmon. Champion level Digimon. His attacks include Electro Squall, Magical Game, and Vision of Terror," he read. "But, I thought Impmon digivolved to Devimon. Huh?"

Takato's attention was grabbed by a strange light emitting from the corner of his eye. He looked down to see Naruto's clutched digivice glowing once again.

"What's going on?" he muttered.

Naruto groaned and Takato proceeded attempt to comfort him once again. "It's alright Naruto, help will be here soon." Henry or Rika must've already called an ambulance the minute Takato's own phone was destroyed by Devimon, so now it was only a matter of time.

He moved Impmon's bandana slightly to the side to check the injury, only to gasp.

"W-what the...?"

There was a strange white light surrounding Naruto's wound. Same as the one coming out of Naruto's Digivice.

"What's going on?" he asked in bewilderment.

He eyed the light on Naruto's wound and looked up at Wizardmon, preparing for his battle against Devimon.

"Wizardmon," he whispered.

 **\\.~0~./**

"He Digivolved," Rika muttered as both kids stared at Impmon's brand new form.

The battle between Guilmon, Terriermon, and Renamon was coming to an end as Renamon was being driven back by the boost in power Henry's card gave Terriermon. It would be over soon. And though she was slightly disappointed that Renamon was being defeated, all Rika wanted at the moment was to have Renamon back.

"Wizardmon, a champion level Digimon. His attacks include Electro Squall, Magical Game, and Vision of Terror. He's Impmon's Digivolution," read Henry from his Digivice.

"I thought Impmon digivolved to Devimon," commented Rika, looking at Devimon's intimidating figure standing combat-ready in front of Wizardmon.

"Some Digimon can Digivolve into other forms. There are different forms that a Digimon can take when Digivolving. Agumon for example, could Digivolve into Greyson or Centarumon. Even Terriermon could've Digivolved into somebody other than Gargomon," explained Henry.

"Yeah, that's true," commented Rika, remembering previous information that she had read on Digivolutions.

Rika felt her heart and pride shatter when she saw Renamon fall to the ground and not get back up, leaving an injured Guilmon and Terriermon standing tall.

"Looks like there is only one more battle to win," commented Henry as he looked up at Wizardmon and Devimon. "Come on."

Henry ran to Takato's side, with Rika following from behind.

This would be an interesting battle.

 **\\.~0~./**

"So... in the end, you Digivolved."

Devimon eyed Wizardmon's look with an expression of interest. Obviously, this was not the Digivolution that he had expected.. Devimon had been Impmon at one point, before he Digivolved and turned into Devimon. That's what he had expected this Impmon to Digivolve into.

Instead, he was faced with Wizardmon.

Wizardmon meanwhile, was looking down at his hands and his form with a look of surprise and disbelief.

It happened. It truly happened.

After waiting for such a long time, Impmon had finally Digivolved. His one wish has finally come true.

But... how?

Was it because of his test of strength? Because he was in a desperate situation of life and death?

No. Something told him it was way more than that.

He glanced back at the group of kids to see Takato joined in by Henry, Guilmon, and Terriermon while Rika stayed back watching over an unconscious Renamon. Then, his eyes landed on what looked to be an unconscious Naruto... and the small purple Digivice clutched in his palm and glowing a white color.

His eyes widened as realization hit him like a fucking train.

When did he...?

Did he accept Naruto as his partner?

"Wizardmon look out!"

Wizardmon was snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Devimon charging towards him with an outstretched arm, ready to impale him.

Wizardmon raised his staff and jumped far out of the way. He could feel the power coursing through his veins. The adrenaline that filled him with the idea that he could do this: he could defeat Devimon.

Devimon's hand met nothing but air, and Wizardmon rose his staff up in the air and a large dark cloud formed above Devimon's form.

 _"Electric Squall!"_

The thunder cloud roared and an intense lightning strike was unleashed from within it. Devimon's eyes widened and he barely had time to fly out of the way, causing the lightning to strike the ground and create a large crater.

Devimon floated in the air, and carefully eyed Wizardmon as he stood on the ground with his staff in the defense and glaring at the Dark Digimon.

Devimon scoffed and raised his hand, a dark orb forming in the middle of his palm.

 _"Death Hand."_

The dark beam unleashed from his hand and moved to strike Wizardmon. Devimon smirked when Wizardmon didn't move out of the way and it struck him in the chest, only to be left confused when Wizardmon's form flickered and faded away like mist.

 _"Magical Game."_

Devimon's eyes widened and he turned around to see Wizardmon standing behind him with his staff raised and pointing directly at Devimon.

 _"Vision of Terror!"_

Devimon's eyes widened as a dark spiral-like aura formed at the tip of Wizardmon's staff. It expanded and grew in size, looking like it was going to swallow him whole. Devimon cursed and immediately began to try and fly away from the incoming attack. But, he didn't move fast enough, and before he knew it, he was swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

Takato and the others stared at the battle in confusion. Which looked more like a staring contest than anything.

Wizardmon stood with his staff still pointed at Devimon and a dark spiral formed at the tip, and Devimon seemed to be completely frozen as well, staring straight into the spiral as if he was mesmerized or hypnotized by the very thing.

"What's going on?" he asked.

A quiet groan caught his attention along with Henry's and he looked down at the charge in his arms. Naruto's eyes were fluttering slightly, the light that had emitted where his wound had been had vanished, along with the injury that could've cost him his life.

"Naruto!" he cried out his name.

Naruto's eyes opened, though barely, it was obvious that despite the absence of the wound, he was still far too weak and tired.

"T-Takato-nii?"

Takato smiled and sighed in relief. "You're okay."

Naruto groaned in response and attempted to push himself up and off Takato's arms. Only to stop when he felt something at the palm of his right hand.

He looked down at his hand curiously and the minute he saw what was in it, his eyes widened.

"Looks like in the end, Impmon did accept a partner," smiled Henry.

Naruto lifted the purple Digivice and stared at it, analyzing every nook and cranny as he flipped it over and over again, and his mind clicked in dawning realization.

He had a Digimon partner.

He smiled the widest smile he could possibly muster. "Impmon!" He cried out his partner's - his _partner's -_ and looked around the area for the purple Digimon. But, instead of being greeted with the sight of the small, grumpy Digimon, he was met with a different scene that seemed to have been put on pause like a movie.

"What?"

Devimon was there. And the sight of the tall, scary Digimon nearly had him scrambling back. His eyes widened and his empty hand moved to clutch the place where his shoulder met his torso, the place where he remembered feeling such an intense pain that had him seeing white for what felt like an eternity. But, instead of the bloody hole that had pierced him, there was nothing but a tear in his shirt and smooth bare skin.

He looked down at the area in confusion. He had been hurt. He was sure of that.

"It healed," voiced Henry, knowing exactly what the blond was thinking.

Naruto glanced at him, before looking back at the wound. "Healed?" he whispered.

Henry simply nodded, knowing that there was another question hidden under that one, except he had no answer for it. He placed a finger on his chin and lost himself in thought, all the while, unknowingly staring at the blond who went back to analyzing the odd scene in front of them.

 _'What I don't understand is how,'_ he thought, _'Was it Impmon? But if so, how was he even capable of doing something like that? It just doesn't make sense. I know that Wizardmon must be strong, but to be able to heal a wound of such magnitude, even though he was so far away?'_

He glanced back at Wizardmon. The Digimon was staring directly at the frozen Devimon with a frozen expression of determination.

 _'This just doesn't add up.'_

"Who is that?" asked Naruto, pointing at Wizardmon.

"That's Impmon," answered Takato.

 _"Eeeehhhh?!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, Rika sat far away from the group, holding an unconscious Renamon's head in her arms while she stared at the frozen scene before them.

She frowned when the blond kid woke up, and with him a bucket full of questions that ran through Rika's mind.

 _'Impmon Digivolved not even five minutes after becoming Naruto's partner,'_ she glanced at the two Digimon by the group's side before looking at Renamon, _'whereas, it took us much longer for Renamon and the others to Digivolve. Not only that, but Naruto's wound healed completely. Not only does it make the call for an ambulance useless, but it's simply... odd.'_

She stared intensely at Wizardmon, who still had yet to move. _'A Digimon shouldn't have the power to do that. Especially one that couldn't even take Terriermon or any other lowly Digimon in a one-on-one battle before Digivolving.'_

If she wasn't clutching Renamon's head, Rika's hands would've been clenched into fists from the sheer annoyance of the situation.

 _'It doesn't make sense.'_

"T-That's Impmon?" asked Naruto, staring at Wizardmon's form in pure awe. The same awe that his expression held when Guilmon had Digivolved into Growlmon.

Takato nodded. "He Digivolved."

Naruto was left speechless. Impmon Digivolved? But, how? Wait, actually -

"Why are they both acting so... weird?" he asked.

Henry answered this time. "Wizardmon used a move called 'Vision of Terror'. I've never heard of it, but from what I gather, Wizardmon must've cast an illusion which they are both now stuck in until Wizardmon either calls the move off, or Devimon overpowers it."

"Aaahhhhhhh," Naruto nodded. "So... it's a mystery move?"

Henry sweat dropped. "Uh, no - did you... did you even hear what I sa-?"

Wizardmon's body flickered. He noticed it at the corner of his eye, and though the movement was small, Henry was known for being a rather observant young man.

"Hey," he called Takato's attention. Takato nodded back, confirming that he had seen it as well.

Slowly, the dark spiral began to fade away, and the group of tamers watched in anticipation before it completely vanished.

And one fighter fell.

* * *

 _Minutes earlier..._

It was dark.

Endless.

And a bit scary.

Devimon looked around the area. There was nothing. Nothing but darkness and emptiness, and just... nothing.

And for the first time in his life, Devimon felt... fear.

It was there. Creeping from the corners of his heart and crawling out to greet him. He managed to keep a lid on it, to not let it overcome him and make the enemy see that he was afraid.

So he hid it. Placed a drape over it and pretended it wasn't there.

Then, he began to do what he does best.

He laughed.

"Hahaha! Idiot! Is this the best you can do?" he laughed and laughed. Each and ever single cackle acting as another drape to place over the fear that was secretly beginning to grow in size.

"I know what this move is. You're showing me my deepest fear, right? Well, you failed! I am Devimon! I don't fear anything, for I am fear itself!"

Then he laughed louder. But even that laugh was not loud enough to cover the voice that appeared out of nowhere and seemed to come out of everywhere.

 _"Impmon?"_

His laugh abruptly ended.

That voice...

 _"What are you doing, Impmon?"_

The laugh of a small child. A girl. No older than ten.

An image appeared before him. A young girl with brown hair tied into twin pony tails, wearing a flower dress smiling at what was a small Impmon. This one different from the one he was facing. This one was much brighter. This one was smiling as he held a bundle of origami roses to the young girl.

 _"Here, I made them for you!"_ he said cheerfully.

The girl's smile widened and she grabbed the flowers, hugging them to her chest.

 _"They're beautiful!"_

"Stop..." Somebody was speaking. And it took him all of one minute to realize that that somebody was him.

The image faded, almost as if responding to his pleas, only to be replaced by a different one. This one of the same Impmon being batted away by a giant Ogremon.

 _"Come on, Impmon!"_

It was the same girl from before, only this one was much older. Probably by two or three years, and the young smiling girl from before with ponytails, was now a teenager with a more firm expression that was smothered in annoyance and frustration.

 _"Get up!"_

Impmon struggled to stand up as Ogremon towered him, raising his massive club up in the air.

 _"Impmon!"_

Just as Ogremon's club struck down, the image faded once again.

 _"I had to use a card,"_ the voice was cold. No longer cheerful or bright like the young girl that once possessed it. It's almost as if somebody else had been using her voice.

Impmon sat up on the couch, his entire frame covered in bandages as the teenager stood over him, an angry expression on her face. He looked guilty, sorry... even scared.

Devimon's hands tightened into fists and he began to grit his teeth.

"This is not mine," he growled.

 _"Sorry,"_ Impmon spoke shyly.

The girl scoffed. _"Sorry? You're sorry?! I don't get it, why do you have to be so weak?"_

 _"I-"_

 _"Shut up!"_ A smack rang. Devimon flinched at the sound and he had to almost look away when the girl's palm met Impmon's cheek, leaving him in shock.

 _"I don't understand why you can't Digivolve! Why I was stuck with somebody so weak!"_

The last two words echoed and Devimon couldn't take it anymore.

A dark orb formed at the palm of his hand.

 _"Death Hand!"_

The attack struck the image, and it disappeared.

"Where are you, you coward!" he called out.

Another dark orb formed in his palm and he began to blindly attack the vast open space, hitting nothing.

"Come out!"

 _"So weak."_

Devimon's eyes widened. She appeared before him. She was standing right there. Staring at him coldly with those same eyes she had the last time he saw her.

 _"It was your fault."_

Devimon took a step back.

 _"If it hadn't been for you..."_

He didn't want her to finish that statement. Didn't want for her either. Another dark orb formed and he pointed it at her direction, but didn't release it.

She stared blankly at it.

 _"Do it. Just like last time. Go ahead."_

Devimon gritted his teeth.

"You think I feel guilty about that?! You stupid bitch!"

 _"Death Hand!"_

The attack hit, and she vanished.

Devimon began to pant, both out of frustration and using his move far too many times.

"You think this scares me, huh?! Then you are dead wrong!"

He calmed his breathing and focused. "And you're going to be dead soon enough."

"You used to have a tamer."

Devimon turned around to face the familiar voice behind him, and he glared, immediately rearing up another attack.

"What's it to you?!"

Wizardmon tilted his head to the side. "So, that's why you hate them so much. Your tamer didn't really look like the greatest person to have as a partner."

"Shut up! _Death Hand!"_

He disappeared before the attack hit.

"Did you kill her?"

Devimon's eyes widened and he turned around once again, to find Wizardmon standing passively and unthreatening. Obviously mocking him by letting Devimon know that he couldn't harm him in his world.

"I. Didn't. Kill. Her." he growled out.

"It's obvious that you're lying."

 _"Death Hand!"_

"Why'd you do it?"

He was behind him again. It was getting damn irritating.

Devimon turned around to face him once again.

"I mean, I get it that she was mean," he shrugged, "But to kill your own tamer? That's pretty harsh, man."

Devimon gritted his teeth. Wizardmon wanted to whoop victoriously. He had him practically all wrapped up and bundled and ready for the taking. He had him where he wanted. Practically defeated. And if he hadn't been so curious with his questioning, maybe he could've finished up earlier than expected.

In a surprising turn of events, Devimon smiled. Wizardmon was left confused as a chuckle slowly began to build up in the Digimon's throat before becoming a roaring laugh.

"What?"

Devimon's laugh faded, and he looked at Wizardmon with a different look. Instead of fear, there was now glee. But, not just any glee, more of a bloodthirsty look that wolves wear when bearing down on prey.

"You want to know why?"

Devimon moved. Not like before. Not with any intention of attacking. Rather, he began to slowly walk up towards Wizardmon, as if the smaller Digimon was a good old friend of his.

It took all his willpower not to take a step back from the taller Digimon.

Despite the fact that Wizardmon had him cornered and nearly defeated like a mouse, Wizardmon felt like it wasn't a mouse he had cornered, but a freaking venomous snake ready to strike with deadly poison in a last ditch effort to go down fighting.

"She slowed me down." He finally stopped when he was mere inches in front of Wizardmon, who was forced to tilt his head back in order to make eye contact with the taller Digimon.

"She always complained that _I_ was the weak one. _I_ was the weak link. _I_ was the one at fault. When it had been her all along. _She_ was the one slowing me down. _She_ was the weak one. _She_ was the one at fault."

His sick smile widened, making Wizardmon's stomach twist and turn at the disturbing sight of it.

"And once I realized that, I didn't hesitate one second before I got rid of her. And gee, did how things turn out for the better after that. I went back to the Digiworld shortly after that. And I became stronger, faster... I Digivolved."

He laughed.

Wizardmon could practically feel the bile tickling his esophagus. "Then, why are you back here?"

Devimon's laughter ceased, and his red eyes narrowed in on Wizardmon. "To finish the job of course."

Wizardmon's eyes widened slightly, before he immediately tried to cover up his reaction by pasting on a deadpan expression.

Devimon didn't comment on the split-second reaction. But, it was obvious by the raise of an invisible eyebrow that he had noticed.

"What? You want to kill all humans or something?" Wizardmon really hoped the answer was a no.

"Nah."

He nearly sighed in relief.

"I just want to bring hell," answered Devimon. "There was a plan. To recruit more Digimon to my cause and wreak havoc across the Real World. To make them fear us, respect us, to have them bow down and lick the very ground we walk on."

Devimon looked up at the dark sky of Wizardmon's illusion, almost as if lost in a daydream created from the depths of his sick mind. Wizardmon honestly didn't know how to respond. Here was a Digimon whose goal he had made it out to be destroying the Human World. Now, Wizardmon didn't particularly like humans, but he couldn't find it in himself either to reach such level of madness. It just felt... wrong.

But, looking at this Digimon before him that seemed to have a deep-seated hatred for Humans, he realized that this guy not only had a couple of screws loose - most likely as a result of Tohru's unforgiving slap - but it seemed that all sense of morality and conscience was sucked out of his entire being.

Devimon sighed and brought his head back down. He smiled at Wizardmon, almost fondly, in a way that made Wizardmon's spine crawl, and realization hit him once Devimon's words echoed one more time in his mind.

"That's why you wanted me to join you..." his eyes widened in realization and he felt his stomach want to crawl down and out of his body. "You wanted me to be a part of your little murder crusade."

Devimon scoffed. "'Murder?' Now that's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"You're not denying that that was your plan though," he commented.

Devimon chuckled. "It's a shame, too, that you refused to join me in the end. You would've been a powerful ally."

Wizardmon ignored the butterflies fluttering in his stomach from the compliment, and instead focused on the sick individual this Digimon was.

"I would never join your idiotic mission. That's stupid," he commented.

Devimon hummed and glanced instead at the large staff in Wizardmon's hands. "That boy..." he began, "He's going to turn out just like her."

Wizardmon's eyes widened.

"That's how it begins. They tell you that you're their best friend, they lie to you, make you believe that they care, and perhaps for a moment they do. But then, there's battles to be won. And you guys jump from one to another, pretending like you're both fighting, when in reality, only one of you is, like the dog you were trained to be. And when the battles are lost more than won, their true nature is revealed and you realized they couldn't have cared an iota for you. They never cared. You were just a fighting pitbull used to gather more money and fame. And every time you won, they felt satisfied as if they had actually contributed to the damn battle."

Devimon leaned forward to and it took all of Wizardmon to not turn tail and run away from the frightening creature. Devimon made sure that he was only a few millimeters away from where Wizardmon's ears were, before whispering.

"That boy will betray you, Wizardmon. Don't let his false friendship fool you for just one second."

Wizardmon's eyes widened. An image of the young, bubbly blond formed in his mind, before being replaced by the shape of a purple Digivice that he had seen just a few minutes ago.

"Then again," chuckled Devimon, "You are a fool yourself."

Wizardmon's eyes widened and he looked down to see Devimon's palm placed over his chest.

 _"Death Hand!"_

The attack fired, hitting Wizardmon straight in the chest, and sending him flying.

Once the attack dispersed, Devimon laughed as Wizardmon's form was left lying limply a couple feet away on the ground.

"Hahahaha! Then again, what was I thinking? Recruiting a guy whose stupid enough to let his guard down in the presence of an enemy?" His laugh died down, and he leered down at Wizardmon's prone form. "You really are a foo-"

 _"Why did you do it, Impmon?"_

Devimon froze. His red eyes widened and he slowly - very slowly - turned his head to the side to look behind him.

There she was again. Leering down at him with those cold, chocolate eyes that haunted his dreams at one point in time. Not that he would ever admit to that.

 _"You were my friend, my partner."_

He flinched and he turned once again. There was another. No, there was a whole bunch of them.

They circled him, surrounded him, each and every one with that same cold expression, leering at him, accusing him. Just like in her last moments.

 _"And yet, you rose your hand against me."_

"Shut up!" he yelled in desperation, "Why - how are you still here?! I ki-"

He looked back to where Wizardmon's body had been, only to find it empty. His eyes widened, "W-What?"

 _"You were my friend, Impmon."_

They closed in on her. They were shutting off his air. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't -

 _"My partner/ Friend/ Why? / I loved you/ How could you? / I trusted you."_

"Get away from me!" he roared, rearing up his hand.

 _"Death Hand!"_

The attack struck one of them, but she only disappeared for a few seconds, before coming back.

 _"Good job, Impmon / I couldn't have asked for a better friend / Let's be together forever / We make a great team, new? / Why?"_

Devimon has never feared anything before. Or so he had once believed.

They were suffocating him. Clinging onto him like an anaconda.

There was one thing he feared. And it was the same thing - _person -_ that he had loved at one point with all his heart.

 _"You're the greatest, Impmon! / Trash!"_

They wrapped around him, their arms clinging onto each and every part of his body, before he was swallowed by the mass of his inner demons.

And for the first time, in a long time, Devimon screamed.

Wizardmon watched the scenery from a distance, his own heart screeching with doubts, insecurities, and - even though this attack was supposed to target his enemy - he too, felt fear.

 **\\.~0~./**

The dark orb from Wizardmon's staff disappeared, and the group watched in silent shock as Devimon fell to the ground screaming.

Wizardmon watched from his spot, impassively as his victim squirmed and screamed for a few seconds before settling down and panting in exertion.

"I-Impmon?"

Wizardmon glanced at the blond kid sitting alongside Takato, his gaze shifting from the healed wound that left him confused, to the purple Digivice in his hands.

"It's Wizardmon," he spoke. Not coldly, or even in anything that should've been an intimidating tone, he was just stating a fact. A fact that Naruto seemed to accept, as he nodded in acknowledgement.

"You okay?" asked Naruto. Wizardmon wanted to laugh. The kid just had a hole blasted through his shoulder and he was asking Wizardmon if he was okay. The question had to be a joke.

A joke that Devimon took to heart. The Digimon laughed, as he took the time to peel himself off the ground. The tamers and their Digimon tensed, and Wizardmon brought his staff up, ready to defend himself should he need to. The battle was not yet finished.

"Yeah, are you okay, Wizardmon?" he said in a mocking tone. He chuckled once again. "Don't get in over your head, you stupid lump," he stood up on shaky legs and smiled. "This battle is not over."

Wizardmon's eyes narrowed. "Actually, it is."

Devimon hadn't realized that Wizardmon's staff had been poised and ready. He hadn't seen the dark thundercloud - this one bigger than the one from before - forming above him. It wasn't until Wizardmon cried out his attack's name, that he realized this battle was truly over. And he was the loser.

 _"Electro Squall!"_

The large lightning bolt struck his already weakened form, and Devimon cried out in pain. The others had to cover their eyes from the intense light of the lightning, until it dissipated, leaving behind a smoking and injured Devimon. Whose body flickered, and began to slowly separate into small bits of data that flew towards Wizardmon.

"You'll see," spoke Devimon one last time. "You'll see soon enough."

And nobody else but Wizardmon knew what he was talking about.

* * *

Naruto didn't know what to do. Should he whoop in victory? Should he cheer for Wizardmon over what seemed to be a won battle? What did Takato and the others usually do when their Digimon won a battle?

The only thing _he_ could do at the moment, was stare in shock as Devimon's form completely disappeared and his data was absorbed by Wizardmon. Wizardmon who a few minutes ago, had been a beaten Impmon that had defended Naruto despite the hatred he had expressed for the young boy. Wizardmon, who had looked at him without the smallest trace of hatred that Impmon had expressed for him.

So, did this mean...?

Naruto clutched his Digivice. A part of him wanted to cry. Did Impmon really.. accept him as his partner?

As soon as that question filtered in his mind, Naruto moved faster than he could even process.

"Naruto!?" He heard Takato's voice, but just like so many times before, Naruto ignored his call.

"Wizardmon!"

His arms wrapped around Wizardmon, who was only a few inches taller than Naruto himself.

Wizardmon was taken aback by the sudden action, and he froze, unaware of how he should respond.

"I... I'm sorry!"

Everybody's eyes widened at the unexpected apology.

Naruto's eyes were filling up with tears that slowly traced down his cheek. Wizardmon flinched the minute he saw them when Naruto tilted his head back to look at him.

"You... you got hurt... because of me!"

An image of a hurt Impmon taking on Devimon - who was obviously way out of his league - appeared in his mind.

"If... If I hadn't been so stupid...," he bawled, "If... I hadn't been so weak... you wouldn't have gotten hurt!"

Wizardmon couldn't seem to react. His mouth, hidden under his cloak, opened and closed, but no words came out. The only voice he could hear besides Naruto's, was that of Devimon.

 _'That boy will betray you.'_

"B-But..." continued Naruto, a light of determination slowly igniting within his eyes, "I promise... I promise that I will get much, much stronger."

The others could only stare at the scene in awe.

 _'Naruto...'_ thought Takato, _'What are you doing?'_

"I'll get strong...," cried Naruto, "So that... I can be a partner you won't be ashamed of."

Wizardmon's eyes widened further. What was he...?

"I promise..." the determination in his eyes became a blazing inferno that even Impmon could feel grazing and burning against his skin.

"I promise that I will become strong, and be the greatest tamer ever!"

Wizardmon gasped lightly.

"I promise that I'll help you become stronger, so we can defeat even more enemies and you can Digivolve even more!"

He had no - ... how was he supposed to react to this?

"I promise I won't let you down, Impmon!"

His eyebrow twitched.

He clubbed Naruto over the head with his staff, making him cry out in pain.

"It's Wizardmon!"

Naruto clutched his head and groaned before glaring at Wizardmon. "What was that for?!"

"It's Wizardmon, you idiot!" he yelled back, "And anyway, what were you thinking blocking Devimon's attack like that?! Are you too much of an airhead to realize that you could've died?!"

"I wanted to protect you!"

Wizardmon gaped at Naruto's response.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt anymore, and I couldn't do anything to help you!" continued Naruto.

"So," he nearly whispered. His hands were clenched into fists and he could feel his form shaking slightly. Either out of anger or some other imperceptible emotion that coursed through him. "Your idea of helping me, was to put your life on the line?"

Naruto gaped. "Well... I... I..." he clenched his teeth and glared at the man angrily. "What else could I have done?!

"We're partners, aren't we?!"

Wizardmon's eyes widened and his entire body lost the tension that had tightened around himself. There was something about that statement... that set off a whole set of emotions within himself. Emotions that escaped the cage he had locked them in and began to ravage within himself, scratching up and biting into everything.

It was like the last words were the flame to a bomb that had remained motionless and untouched for so long.

 _'You'll see. You'll see.'_

Naruto cried out when he felt a set of strong hands shove him back, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Naruto!" cried out Takato, who proceeded to run to the blond's side.

Naruto ignored him and instead looked up at Wizardmon, only to flinch at the cold expression that greeted him, along with a pair of eyes mixed with hatred, anger, and so many more emotions that Naruto couldn't read.

"Don't ever say that again."

The voice was cold enough to freeze anything within hearing range. And the words were sharp enough to pierce Naruto's heart.

"W-What?"

Wizardmon's eyes narrowed, but he said no more.

That was all he had to say at the moment. All that needed to be said.

And with that in mind, he disappeared. Completely vanished, along with a deadly tension that was strong enough to nearly suffocate the blond.

Naruto stared at the spot where Wizardmon had been for what felt like hours. His palms were clenching the Digivice so tight, he could feel blood beginning to creep out from where it was digging in. Tears once again formed at the corners of his eyes, but he couldn't let them flow. He made a promise that he would become stronger, and strong people didn't cry. And though Wizardmon ran away from him once again, Naruto was still the kind of person who kept his word, no matter what.

That was his way.

"Hey."

He glanced at Takato, who was standing beside him with his hand over his shoulder. The older boy smiled softly at him in an effort to comfort him. "Don't worry, he'll come around."

Naruto knew that it was more of a hopeful statement than anything. That the possibility of Wizardmon running towards his arms and calling him friend in the near future, was nothing but a joke.

Still, that didn't mean it wasn't possible.

"He's just stubborn," voiced Henry as he kneeled down next to him, also with a small smile on his lips. "But, he'll come back eventually. Just give him some time."

"He just likes acting like an idiot for some reason," chipped in Terriermon as appeared over Naruto's head.

"Yeah," agreed Guilmon.

Naruto smiled softly at them. "Thanks you guys." It might not be much, nor did it mean that what they said was true, but it was their way of trying to comfort him after the rejection he just suffered, and for that he was grateful.

"Uh, guys?" The sound of nearby sirens cut their conversation short and the group turned to Rika who was looking towards the entrance of the building, along with Renamon who had finally regained consciousness and was standing on shaky feet next to her tamer.

"I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but remember that ambulance you guys told me to call a few minutes ago when our blond boy was nearly dying?"

The group gaped as the sirens got closer before stopping. The sound of voices shouting and doors closing reached their ears and they felt dread grip their hearts.

"Shit!" cursed Takato, ignoring the fact that an eight-year old boy was right there. "What are we going to do?"

He turned back to where Rika was, only to find an empty space.

"Where did they go!" yelled Henry.

"Oh, come on! That's not fair!"

And yet, despite the chaotic day and the roller coaster ride from hell it had been with a twist ending, Naruto found himself smiling and even chucking softly, the Digivice clenched tightly in his palm.

Yeah, they were right.

Impmon would be back.

 **\\.~0~./**

In the darkened streets of Tokyo, another familiar cloud of smoke formed over the intersection that was Riku Drive and Tsuki Street, where the massive form of a large centaur-like creature formed.

It stood several feet high, easily towering over parked cars and any human that could've lived in the area. It's upper-body was that of a human, but it's lower body could only belong to that of a horse. The majority of its body was covered in orange fur, except for the muscles that were covered in blue plating. Covering its head was a grey helmet, revealing only a sole red eye shining in the darkness within the headset, and the remains of a shoulder guard on its left shoulder. Its left hand was metallic with a silver chain hanging from its wrist, while its right hand was actually a canon.

The beast roared as it took in its new surroundings, relishing the fact that he had made it. He was finally in the Real World. It had been long and arduous to make it here, but he made it, and now was the time to set his mission in motion.

And he would've. He would've waited for the smoke to dissipate in order to be able to move on. He would've carried out his plan effectively the way he was supposed to. It would've all gone well and according to plan.

Keyword 'would've'.

 _"Katana Attack!"_

The sharp blades hit him straight on his back, making him cry out in pain as they impaled him.

"W-What?"

"Centarumon. A champion-level Digimon. His attacks include Solar Ray and Jet Gallop," spoke a young male voice. Centarumon turned his head this way and that in search of the origin of the voice, and found it standing just a few feet away to his right.

He could see two shadows. One that obviously belonged to a young human, and another one that belonged to one of his own kind, standing at the same height as the boy.

"Who's there?" he roared.

"Alright, shouldn't be too much for you, right?" spoke the young voice, almost cockily.

The shape of the Digimon nodded. "Nope. Should be easy enough."

Centarumon growled. "You fools! Think you can defeat me so easily?!"

He could almost see the young boy smirk. "We don't 'think' we can defeat you so easily."

The shape of the Digimon disappeared and Centarumon was left shocked when it reappeared just a few inches away from his face, giving him a full view of what he was facing. Not that it mattered though, it was all over in the matter of a few seconds.

"We _know_ we can," spoke the Digimon.

 _"Tera Burst!"_

His mission was over, the minute he stepped into the Real World.

 _ **Chapter End**_

 _ **\\.~0~./**_

 _ **A/N: Guess who got her new laptop?!**_

 ** _That's right! I'm back!_**

 ** _Well, not that I was gone for long in the first place, but hey it's sooner than expected. I really I thought I was going to be gone for the entire summer or something._**

 ** _Anyway, how did you guys like this chapter?_**

 ** _I had a tough time with it because I wanted to build so much drama and suspense and still put bits of comedy in it to ease the tension, but I sure do hope it was worth the wait._**

 ** _Now to answer some reviews!_**

 ** _Ijustdon'tcare123: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_**

 ** _foxchick1: Sorry for the wait! I did receive your last message, but I decided to respond it by posting this new chapter as soon as possible. I hope it was worth the wait, and thank you so much for reading! It truly makes me happy that you seem to enjoy this story._**

 ** _kit (guest): Thank you! I tried! XD_**

 ** _Dimension Distorter: Oh, you're making me blush! I normally have a hard time getting somebody's character on point when it comes to fan fiction, but I'm glad that it seems to be going well based on people's comments. Thank you so much for reviewing! And I'm truly sorry for the wait._**

 ** _ivan0061509: Wait no more! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!_**

 ** _thor94: Yup, Naruto gets himself in some pretty crappy situations XD. Sorry for the cliffhanger. I wasn't planning on it happening, it just.. sort of did. Yup, Devimon is a huge jerk, but he has his reasons. Tohru wasn't exactly the greatest tamer in existence. Nevertheless, his actions were pretty... well, they were too much. Thank you for reading and reviewing!_**

 ** _Echo the Slowpoke: I'm so sorry!_**

 ** _skyh1gh: Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you liked this chapter as well._**

 ** _suntan140: Uuuuuuhhhhhhh... NO COMMENT! I cannot spoil the Digivolution line! XD Thank you for reading and reviewing! :D_**

 ** _zero full buster (Guest): Awwwww, thank you!_**

 ** _eniox27: I try! XD Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!_**

 ** _Anyway, as a result of making you guys wait for so long, here's a small reward!_**

 _Preview:_

 _Chapter 5: Rivals, Ice, and Flying Idiots_

 _"He's looking for you."_

 _"Well you can tell him to piss off!"_

* * *

 _"How can you call yourself a tamer when you don't even have a Digimon?"_

 _"I have one! He's just... uh... on vacation!"_

* * *

 _"He's strong."_

 _"Who is he anyway?"_

* * *

 _"Rika, are you okay?"_

 _"I told you I'm fine, Renamon!"_

* * *

 _"Stop walking away from me!"_

* * *

 _Preview End_

 _ **Alright, that's it for today. Expect an update sometime in the next two weeks.**_

 _ **I hope to see you guys all soon!**_


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